


Cherry and Atticus and the Sword in the Stone

by PerkyGoth14



Category: The Sword in the Stone (1963)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:21:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 35,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25120819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerkyGoth14/pseuds/PerkyGoth14
Summary: Cherry comes over to the Fudo household to hang out with Atticus until they're both suddenly whisked away to yet another brand new adventure. In this adventure, they visit Medival Times from when King Arthur was young... But was also good friends with Atticus's father, Patrick, as they meet Merlin and find out about the legendary sword in the stone. Can they help fix the timeline?





	1. Chapter 1

Cherry sat alone in her bedroom, looking and feeling a little bored as she wasn't sure what to do. That was until she got a phone call, and she decided to answer it after seeing who it was. "Hey, Atticus." she then said.

"Hey, Cherry," Atticus said. "It's been a while since we did something."

"Tell me about it," Cherry rolled her eyes. "I think I have Stockholm Syndrome for these adventures."

"You think you wanna come over and hang out like we used to?" Atticus asked. "We could have a movie night with video games."

"Hmm..." Cherry paused for a moment before shrugging. "...I guess I could do that. I've got nothing better to do."

"Great," Atticus smiled. "So I'll see ya soon."

"Mm-hmm..." Cherry nodded before she jumped off of her bed and walked off. "Well, I might as well get ready. It's really been quiet for adventures lately," she then said. "Funny thing... I hate them when they go on and yet when they stop, I miss them... I must be sick or something."

Atticus then decided to get ready for his company. "Adventures are unpredictable; you never know when the next adventure will come." he then said to himself out of excitement.

And where luckily for both of them, Atticus and Cherry were going to have an adventure into the past.

"Are you kids gonna have a sleepover like when you were kids?" Michelle smiled.

"Nah," Cherry replied. "I'm pretty sure I'm just gonna eat dinner and watch a movie. I shouldn't be too long."

"All right," Michelle cooed as she hugged her daughter very tightly. "Have a good time~"

"Sure, Mom," Cherry muffled before poking her head out and panted heavily for air. "Oxygen... Oxygen..."

Michelle beamed as she soon let her daughter go, patting her on the head. Cherry grumbled before she left out the front door to visit the Fudo household. As she began to make her way to the Fudo household, Cherry began to wonder when Drell would appear and tell them that they had an adventure that day... Which she rarely did as the adventures were usually what she would want to try and avoid. Atticus smiled at the doorbell was rung and Cherry stepped inside with a nod of her head.

"What're we gonna watch?" Cherry asked.

"I dunno, I saw this one movie at a garage sale," Atticus said, holding up a DVD of a movie called _"Double, Double, Toil, and Trouble"_. "It's a movie about these twin witches... Though not like Alex and Camryn."

"...Those twins look like the little Tanner girl your sister talks about sometimes." Cherry said as she took a look at the DVD cover.

Atticus then looked at the cover and chuckled. "Yeah, I guess they do kinda look like Michelle."

"Anyway, let's watch the movie unless Drell comes out of the linen closet and tells us that we have an adventure." Cherry said.

They soon heard thunder and lightning. Once they saw it didn't come from outside, Atticus and Cherry knew exactly where it came from and who was coming. Cherry soon ran upstairs to the closet to lean against the door. The door soon tried to open, but there was a bit of a struggle.

"I'm sorry, no one's home right now," Cherry smirked as she locked the door. "Unless this is a package from _Abercrombie & Witch_."

"Let me in or I will bust this door down myself!" Drell's voice glared.

"What that magic word?" Cherry smirked.

Drell's fist soon popped out from the door.

"...Okay," Cherry said as she stepped back and unlocked the door. "I just thought you were on vacation or something. I thought you were gonna be someone else," she then shrugged. "How was I supposed to know?"

"Cherry, you and Atticus are needed for an adventure." Drell told her.

"Okay, this is interesting," Cherry said. "Uh, what is our adventure?"

"You two are going back in time to the time of King Arthur." Drell explained.

"...Why?" Cherry whined.

"Because I said so." Drell replied.

"...Great excuse," Cherry sighed. "...Can we eat dinner first? I can smell Atticus's mom making something."

"...All right, a quick dinner," Drell rolled his eyes. "Just make it quick, this is pretty serious. The timeline could get erased."

"Stop the presses." Cherry said with her hands in the air.

* * *

Everyone was soon seen eating dinner together.

"Mmf... This steak is so tender..." Cherry said. "I haven't eaten dinner in a while."

"I'm concerned about you not eating a lot, Cherry," Atticus said. "It sounds awful."

"It's okay, really," Cherry replied. "It's just part of being undead." she then added with a smirk, showing her fangs briefly.

"You can thank Forte for that later on." Drell told Cherry.

"So delicious." Atticus smiled as he ate his steak.

"So Drell, why are Atticus and Cherry needed for an adventure in Medival Times?" Patrick asked the strong warlock.

"It's complicated, but do you remember this?" Drell asked as he came to a shelf in the Fudo living room.

Patrick and Emily shared a look before looking at the strong warlock. Drell soon pulled out a book titled "The Sword in the Stone".

"Of course I remember that," Patrick said to the warlock. "We lived through that. That was also around when I first met Emily."

"Yes, but look at this." Drell said as he opened the book and the words and pictures were slowly fading away from existence, making the pages blank.

"Oh, no, the past is being altered..." Patrick said out of worry.

"Exactly, unless something is done to correct the timeline; it could be erased for good." Drell told them.

"So... You want... Us to go back in time?" Cherry asked.

"I couldn't think of anyone better for the job," Drell replied. "I'll take you to where you need to go, but that'll be it. I can't risk running into my other self and neither can Atticus's parents."

"Other selves?" Atticus asked.

Cherry paused for a moment as she knew what Drell was talking about based on watching movies based on time-travel. "Because that could cause a major paradox that could destroy the entire universe?" she then guessed.

"Exactly," Drell nodded. "You'll also probably run into Hilda, Zelda, and Edward during that timeframe since they were being tutored by Merlin at that time."

"Good to know." Atticus said.

"Just know that his teachings are a bit different." Drell said.

"As different as yours?" Cherry asked with her arms folded.

"Maybe... Come on, I'll take you to a special room." Drell gestured for them to follow him.

Atticus looked at his parents and hugged them good and tight.

"Oh, Atticus, we'll be right here," Emily soothed. "It'll be like you never left anyway since time travel is funny like that."

"I know, but I just hope we can save you guys." Atticus said softly.

"Don't worry; I'm sure you and Cherry will." Patrick smiled.

"Well see ya when we get back." Cherry told the Fudo parents.

Patrick and Emily waved Cherry and Atticus away as they went on yet another new adventure.

* * *

"Each hallway is a different century," Drell informed Cherry and Atticus as he led them through the new room in the Supernatural Realm. "I rented this from Father Time and Baby New Year."

Cherry and Atticus looked around, feeling uneasy as they followed him as the walk took a while until they came to a stop and the two ran into him before falling on top of each other on the floor before getting back up once he stopped.

"This is where you'll go..." Drell said as he opened the door. "You might get separated, but knowing you two, you'll be fine and fix everything... Otherwise... Everything might be gone, especially with Patrick and Emily ever meeting... And be careful of the Gummi Bears."

"Um, okay?" Atticus and Cherry said out of confusion.

Atticus and Cherry both soon went through the door that Drell had opened.

"Goodbye and good luck!" Drell called out before shutting the door behind them.

Cherry and Atticus then suddenly disappeared in a beam of bright light as they went back in time into a very, very long time ago into the past.

* * *

"A legend is sung of when England was young as knights were brave and bold," A narration began as the story also began. "The good king had died and no one could decide who was rightful heir to the throne. It seemed that the land would be torn by war or saved by a miracle alone, and that miracle appeared in London Town: the sword in the stone. And below the hilt in letters of gold were written these words: 'Whoso pull-eth out this sword of this stone and anvil is right wise the king born of all England'."

Though many tried for the sword with all their strength, none could move the sword nor stir it. So the miracle had not worked. And England was still without a king. And in time, the marvelous sword was forgotten. This was a dark age without law and without order. Men lived in fear of one another for the strong preyed upon the weak. A dark age indeed! An age of inconvenience. No plumbing... No electricity... No nothing! A wolf was soon shown and heard a squirrel who wandered on a tree before a hawk flew over and tried to snatch it. We are soon seen going further into the forest and where it seemed like there was nothing else in the forest until an old man with a long white beard wearing a blue robe as he was collecting water from the well. Atticus looked around as he wandered through the forest.

"Boo!" Cherry smirked as she jumped out in front of him from the darkness.

"Cherry!" Atticus scolded. "Stop playing! We have a job to do."

"Sorry~" Cherry replied innocently before they saw the man.

"A dark age indeed!" The old man grumbled as he pulled on the chain, though he seemed to have trouble with the well. "Age of inconvenience. No plumbing, no electricity, no nothing!"

"Huh... I guess _some_ wizards _did_ have white beards and pointy hats... Even if Jerry Russo doesn't." Cherry shrugged from afar.

The old man soon yelped as he almost fell into the well before catching himself as he began to start pulling himself out of the well until Atticus went over to help him with the water. Cherry cupped her mouth a bit.

"Oh... Thank you..." The old man said as he dripped a little wet, but not too terribly before he saw Atticus. "...Say, who are you? I've never seen you before."

"My name's Atticus," Atticus replied. "And no problem, I love to help people."

"That should be your motto when you become a famous detective." Cherry teased.

"Oh, ha, ha, very funny," Atticus smirked playfully at Cherry before facing the old man. "This is Cherry, my best friend and well, it might be a bit hard to explain where we're from, but how we got here is well I guess a doorway from the Netherworld would be considered magic."

"Hmm... How very curious..." The old man replied. "I don't have any reason to not believe you."

"Then believe us," Cherry smirked. "Cuz I live a pretty crazy life."

"I can tell you're an interesting one," The old man remarked. "You might as well come with me."

Cherry and Atticus soon followed him after he had used the well.

"Everything complicated," The old man mumbled to himself as Atticus made sure he wouldn't trip with the chain as they followed him into his home. "One big medieval mess. Now, let me see," he then said as he paused once he let them inside. "He should be here in, I'd say half an hour."

"Who should be here?" Cherry asked.

"I am just as curious." A male voice said.

Atticus and Cherry soon looked around the room before they looked and saw a birdhouse as the birdhouse door opening to show a tiny owl coming out.

"Hello! ...Owl?" Cherry blinked.

"Who? Who?" The owl continued to ask. "I'd like to know who."

"I told you, Archimedes, I am not sure," The old man replied as he got ready. "All I know is that somebody will be coming. Someone very important. Not these two though, even if their arrival is surprising."

"Oh, pinfeathers!" The owl complained in frustration.

"That's very reassuring," Cherry rolled her eyes. "You're getting ready for company you don't even know about."

"Fate will direct him to me so that I, in turn, may guide him to his rightful place in the world," The old man said. "And where he will be accompanied by a friend or two."

"Huh, that's interesting." Atticus said.

"Thank you," The old man replied. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't tell you my name."

"Is it Gandalf?" Cherry asked as Atticus nudged her as this was no time for jokes.

"No, my dear child, I am called Merlin, at your service." The old man introduced himself.

"Merlin? As in The Merlin?" Atticus smiled.

"I see my reputation proceeds me." Merlin smiled back.

"Let's just say we've heard a lot about you." Cherry replied.

"Well, it's good to see someone who knows me," Merlin remarked. "Besides Archimedes of course."

"Someone named Drell sent us here." Atticus said.

"Yeah, and the reason is for, well, we can't exactly tell you." Cherry said.

"Did you say Drell?" Merlin glared.

"He knows him..." Cherry and Atticus murmured knowingly.

"That mischievous, sneaky, prankster, spoiled little brat?!" Merlin continued. "How could he have sent you here? He's still in training so he can take over The Magic Council when his mother retires!"

"Um, so, uh, shouldn't we, I don't know, find out where this mystery guest of yours is?" Cherry asked Merlin, changing the subject.

"Yes, we shall," Merlin replied. "This shouldn't take long."

Cherry and Atticus then sighed in relief.

"So, uh, how do you know a guest is coming?" Atticus asked.

"I had a prediction!" Merlin replied. "Fate will direct him to me so that I, in turn... May guide him to his rightful place in the world. A-And you say he will arrive in half an hour?"

"Ha! Well, we'll just see." Archimedes rolled his eyes in doubt.

"And you will, Archimedes. You will," Merlin reassured as he began to light up and smoke his pipe before accidentally burning himself. "Ow!"

"You okay, sir?" Atticus winced.

"Yes, Atticus, I'll be fine..." Merlin reassured as he seemed to begin to have a vision in the smoke. "He'll be, uh, a boy... Small boy... 11, 12-years-old... And a scrawny little fellow..." he then listed as Cherry pulled her shirt up over her nose and mouth from the smoke.

"You don't say." Cherry muffled.

"And his friend?" Atticus asked.

"Yes, tell us about this friend that seems to also be joining him here." Archimedes said to Merlin.

"Ah, yes, his friend... I believe he's around the same age..." Merlin continued before he saw something which didn't fit his description. "Oh, no, no, no. That can't be the one. Surely not. Why, that big lad must be close onto 20."

"Do you see that smoke?" Cherry asked Atticus as he just listened.

"Ah. There they are," Merlin then continued after a young man was shown and then two boys were shown as Cherry watched the smoke screen. "The scrawny little fellows about 12. They're a couple of regular little grasshoppers. One a tad more adventurous and hopeful than the other... Not too dissimilar to Atticus here... Look at them go."

"And where... Where would you guess he is at this very moment?" Archimedes demanded.

"I am _not_ guessing, Archimedes! I know _where_ they are!" Merlin glared sharply. "Less than a mile from here just beyond the forest. And right on schedule, i-if all goes well."


	2. Chapter 2

Meanwhile, with the two boys and young man, as the boys were climbing up a tree behind the young man.

"Quiet, guys." The redheaded young man glared as he heard them behind him.

"We're tryin' to be." The blonde boy defended.

"We just wanna watch." The dark brown-haired boy added.

"And nobody asked you to come along in the first place." The redheaded young man scoffed as he looked around.

"We're not even movin'!" The blonde boy pouted.

"Shut up," The redheaded young man sneered as he looked over before smirking once he saw a deer not too far away and readied his bow and arrow. "Aha! Here we go. Oh, what a set-up. Right smack through the old gizzard."

The two boys began to lean over the branches that they were on to see if the redheaded young man would get the deer before it would get away. The redheaded young man kept pulling the arrow back, getting ready to fire it at the deer. The blonde boy then suddenly fell on top of the redheaded young man as the arrow went flying, but it missed the deer who just pranced away.

"Wart!" The dark-haired boy cried for his friend.

"Why, you clumsy, little fool!" The redheaded young man glared as he chased the blonde boy, blaming him for that.

"Oh, Kay, please, I'm sorry!" The blonde boy cried out before he soon ran off. "I couldn't help it. Please."

"Oh, Kay, leave him alone!" The dark brown-haired boy cried out as he went after his dear friend.

"If I ever--" Kay glared as he chased after Wart before tripping over a log before he got back up and saw the younger boys running into the dark forest. "If I ever get my hands on, on you, I-I'll wring your scrawny little neck, so help me, I will!"

"If only I could keep him from being so mean." The dark-haired boy said to himself softly.

"I wish you could too, Pat," Wart frowned. "I don't blame you though."

"You're a real pal." Patrick smiled sadly.

"We'll get the arrow, Kay," Wart soon told the redhead. "I'm sure we can find it."

"Don't tell me you're going in there," Kay smirked at them mockingly. "Why, it's swarming with wolves."

"We're not afraid." Wart and Patrick retorted before they went further into the woods.

"Well, go ahead," Kay taunted them as they left. "It's your skin, not mine. Go on, go on."

"We're going. We're going." Patrick told him as he and Wart hurried off further into the woods.

* * *

Patrick and Wart began to look for Kay's around before they kept going not knowing a wolf came out from under the rock they were on top of as it had a bone in its mouth.

Patrick noticed something before facing Wart. "All right, get ready for a jump." he then told his friend.

Wart nodded as Patrick turned around and jumped ahead to the other side and he then followed. The wolf continued to watch the boys while chewing on its bone before Wart suddenly tripped and that made the wolf spit the bone out of its mouth and it began to stalk after the boys. Patrick bent back a tree branch to let Wart go first after he got back up and let go of the branch once they both passed. The wolf then suddenly got whacked in the face from the tree branch as the boys continued going.

"That arrow shouldn't be too far now." Patrick said as they kept looking.

As they kept going on, Wart soon spotted Kay's arrow.

"Hey, Wart, I think I see it." Patrick smiled.

Wart looked around before he then beamed. "There it is. Oh, there it is!" he then called and began to climb the tree.

Patrick smiled before yelping as something came up from behind before he glanced over and gasped in horror as he ran off and hid behind the tree and held out a branch with a glare once he saw the wolf. "No! No..." he then said warningly.

The wolf simply smirked as it licked its lips, looking ready to eat.

"You're not eating us today, Wolf." Patrick told the wolf.

The wolf growled right in his face.

"Gah!" Patrick yelped as that scared him a little.

Wart nearly fell off from one branch, but didn't fall and kept on climbing the tree. The wolf kept moving all around the tree with its mouth open, waiting for Wart to fall so that it could eat him. Patrick soon panicked as then went to make sure Wart didn't get eaten by the wolf who kept waiting for its snack to come down. The wolf grinned eagerly as Patrick climbed up in the tree after Wart. Wart was soon inches away from the arrow as Patrick helped him, but the boys screamed before they suddenly fell and landed through a hay-covered roof. Cherry and Atticus sat at a table together while Merlin coughed as the boys suddenly ended up in the cottage, landing in two separate chairs.

* * *

"So, you, you did drop in for tea after all," Merlin remarked as he checked the time. "Oh, you are a bit late, you know."

"We are?" Wart asked him.

"We didn't know we were going to be having tea, sir." Patrick said.

"I guess he's psychic?" Cherry asked Atticus.

"Beats me." Atticus shrugged.

"Now, my name is Merlin," The wizard introduced himself to the boys. "Come, come, who are you, my lads?"

"I'm Patrick." Patrick replied.

Atticus nearly snorted water out his nose as he cupped his mouth in surprise.

"Oh, my name's Arthur, but everyone calls me Wart." Wart then added.

"Your parents must've hated your guts." Cherry rolled her eyes.

"I wouldn't know." Wart replied.

Cherry looked wide-eyed and suddenly guilty about what she said as a smart remark.

"Oh, what a perfectly stuffed owl," Patrick smiled as he saw Archimedes before looking over to Wart. "Wart, take a look at this stuffed owl."

"Oh, you're right, Patrick; that is a perfectly stuffed owl." Wart smiled.

"Uhh..." Cherry and Atticus paused.

"Stuffed?!" Archimedes glared as he looked offended. "I-I-I beg your pardon!"

"He's alive and he talks." Patrick gasped.

"And certainly a great deal better than you do." Archimedes glared as he flew into the clock.

"Oh, come, Archimedes. Come, come now. I-I want you to meet the boys," Merlin cooed to the owl before he gave a cup to Wart to give to the stubborn owl. "Now, you must forgive him. They're only boys."

"Boys? Boys? Well, I see no boys!" Archimedes glared before he took the cup with his foot and shut the clock face behind him.

"Well, he sure is, uh..." Patrick said, trying to find a nice thing to call Archimedes.

"Stubborn?" Cherry guessed.

"Erm..." Patrick blinked.

"Interesting?" Atticus asked.

"Sure, let's go with that." Atticus nodded, agreeing with Patrick.

"That's all right," Merlin reassured. "He's much too sensitive."

"Sensitive? Huh?" Archimedes glared in offense. "Who? What? What? Oh, well." he then shrugged and gave up.

"How did you know that we were--" Wart began.

"Oh, th-that you would be dropping in?" Merlin guessed before answering his question, seeming to accidentally pour tea all over his beard. "Well, I happen to be a wizard. A soothsayer. A prognosticator. I have the power to see into the future. Centuries into the future! I-I've even been there, lad," he then pointed over to a map and something that looked like a model train in development. "And I've seen all these things. Th-They're only plans and small models, of course, you know," he then showed the model train to the boys. "Now, this for instance is a steam locomotive. There she goes." he then said as he poured tea into the model and let it ride off on its own with the power of steam.

Cherry and Atticus didn't look as impressed as Patrick and Wart for obvious reasons.

"Amazing." Patrick smiled.

"Sure is." Wart added.

"Pretty good, eh?" Merlin smiled at the boys. "Now, that won't be invented for hundreds of years!"

"Oh. You mean you can see everything before it happens?" Wart asked out of intrigue.

"Yes, everything." Merlin nodded boastfully.

"Uh-uh, uh-uh!" Archimedes spoke up as he poked his head out. "Everything, Merlin?"

"Uh... No, no, not everything," Merlin admitted as he brought out his staff and pointed it to the hole in the roof, hitting Patrick and Wart on their heads by accident. "I, uh, I admit I didn't know whom to expect for tea, but as you can see... I figured out the exact place!" he then added with a laugh.

"Maybe _that's_ why he didn't know about us and Drell." Atticus whispered to Cherry.

Cherry just shrugged as they listened to Merlin.

"Well, still that is impressive, Mr. Merlin." Patrick said

"You're very clever, sir." Wart added.

"Yes. Well, never mind th-the sir or Mr. Merlin. Just, uh, plain Merlin will do," The wizard replied. "Now tell me something about yourselves, where do you live?"

"I live with Sir Ector and his son Kay in the castle." Wart explained.

"I visit all the time, especially after my parents sent me on an errand to go to their place," Patrick added. "I have a sister who usually hangs around bears."

"Bears?" Atticus asked. "They don't hurt her, do they?"

"Of course not," Patrick replied. "These bears are mostly friendly. She calls them the Gummi Bears."

Cherry snickered at the name of 'Gummi Bears'.

"Yes, the Gummi Bears are quite friendly and can be a force to be reckoned with," Merlin said. "Especially with their spells and Gummi Berry juice."

Cherry cupped her mouth as she snickered loudly.

"Cherry!" Atticus whispered firmly.

"Gummi Berry juice..." Cherry chuckled. "That sounds like a snack at preschool."

"Oh, you ought to know better, child," Merlin warned. "They can be rough when they want to be."

"Yeah, I'm sure, like a Care Bear." Cherry mumbled to herself in disbelief.

"I am quite serious, just be thankful no one evil has stolen their juice or else we would all be in big trouble." Merlin said.

"Hmm... Okay..." Cherry shrugged.

"Oh, good, now then, would, would you care for sugar?" Merlin asked the boys.

"What's tea without sugar?" Patrick chuckled.

"Oh, yes, we would, please." Wart nodded.

"All right. Sugar," Merlin replied before looking down to the sugar bowl as it didn't move. "Sugar?"

The sugar bowl soon got up and walked on its own, much to the kids' amazement and it came over to the older wizard first.

"No, no, manners, manners, manners!" Merlin scolded the sugar bowl. "Guests first, you know that!"

The sugar bowl soon went back over to Patrick and Wart, marching like a soldier and held its spoon after its top was taken off.

"All right," Merlin then nodded. "Say when, lads."

The sugar bowl soon gave them each two spoonfuls of sugar so far.

"When!" Patrick and Wart then said once they had enough.

The sugar bowl soon stopped once it heard that and soon went back to where it was before.

"Incredible." Patrick smiled.

"Have you had any schooling?" Merlin soon asked.

"Oh, yes! Kay has trained to become a knight and I'm training to become his squire," Wart nodded eagerly as he enjoyed his tea and snacks. "I'm learning the rules of combat, swordsmanship, jousting, and horsemanship."

"Oh, yes, yes, very good," Merlin nodded before suddenly shaking his head. "That's... That's... No, no, no, That's all wrong... I mean a-a-a real education. Mathematics. History. Geography Biology. Natural science. Chemistry, English, Physics, Latin, French..." he then listed as he collected a bunch of books.

Cherry snickered as the sugar bowl continued to fill Merlin's cup with a bunch of sugar since it didn't know when to stop.

"I'm not sure what I want to do with my life." Patrick shrugged.

"Uh, Merlin, your sugar bowl won't stop filling your cup with sugar until you say when." Atticus said.

"Either that or you're gonna have a major outbreak in diabetes." Cherry remarked.

"No. When! When! Blast it all! When!" Merlin cried out to the sugar bowl.

The sugar bowl soon stopped and looked startled before going back across the table, leaving the sugar-soaked cup.

"Impudent piece of crockery," Merlin grumbled before he looked at Patrick and Wart, about to sit down. "Boys, now, you can't--" he then stopped himself once he noticed his chair wasn't there and soon gestured for his chair to come over and it soon did before he then sat down inside of it. "You can't grow up without a decent education, you know." he then advised the boys.

"Well, we don't exactly have a teacher who can teach us the right things we need to learn." Patrick said.

"Of course you don't," Merlin replied as he smiled at the boys. "So, I am going to be your tutor."

"But I've got to get back to the castle," Wart suddenly said as he got out of his seat, taking a cookie on the way over to the door. "They'll want me in the kitchen. I've got a lot of dishes to do. C'mon, Patrick."

"Well, that's the end of that," Cherry shrugged. "...Though I doubt it is."

"Oh, well, then very well; we'll pack and be on our way." Merlin smiled as he open his bag.

"But how will you get everything in that one bag, sir--... I mean Merlin?" Patrick asked.

"You got a Mary Poppins bag?" Cherry added.

"You are an interesting young lady," Merlin said to her before he went to show them how he would pack up his bag. "Oh I can't, can't I? You... You watch now. You'll like this."

"Oh, boy, here we go." Cherry sighed as she felt like she knew what was coming.

Merlin soon stood up on a step stool as he used his cane like a conductor's wand. Patrick looked very amazed and interested with the use of magic.

"You... You watch now. You'll like this," Merlin told the kids as he got ready. "Higitus figitus, zumba ka zing. I want your attention, everything!"

Everything in the room soon turned around through magic like they were listening to him.

"We're packing to leave," Merlin told his personal items. "Come on. Let's go."

The sugar bowl then looked ready to leave the table.

"No, no, not you," Merlin tutted. "Books are always first, you know."

The books soon opened up and began to fly through the air over the kids' heads before going over to Merlin into his bag.

"Hockety pockety wockety whack, Abra abra dabra nack, Shrink in size very small~," Merlin began to sing as he led the books into his bag, thinking them down so that they could fit. "We've got to save enough room for all, All the others could do was watch~"

"I should do that on Exam Day in school." Cherry commented.

Archimedes began to mutter to himself as he tried to not get himself included in the packing the tea pot and dishes soon added themselves until the sugar bowl soon rushed as it got left behind as the lid and spoon were accidentally left behind. Patrick picked up the lid and spoon before the sugar bowl suddenly snatched them away from him and kept going with everything else. The sugar bowl then appeared to be cutting in line as the rest of the furniture flew into Merlin's bag.

"Now, stop, stop, stop, stop! See here, sugar bowl," Merlin scolded the sugar bowl. "You're getting rough. That poor old tea set is cracked enough."

The sugar bowl appeared to be slow almost as if it felt guilty for what just happened.

"Now. Now, all right. Let's start again," Merlin said before he decided to keep going. "Ah, let's start... Uh... Oh. Where was I, kids?" 

"Uh, hockety pockety?" Cherry shrugged.

"Oh, yes, yes, that's right," Merlin then nodded as he moved his things again before Archimedes got himself stuck within the items. "Hockety pockety wockety wack, Odds and ends and bric-a-brac~"

Archimedes began to start doing his best to not get packed with the rest of the stuff.

"I'll be with you in a minute, children; packing's almost done." Merlin said as Archimedes flew into his birdhouse.

The birdhouse was soon going too.

"Oh, poor owl." Cherry said, trying not to laugh.

"You... You... You bungling blockhead!" Archimedes glared as he flew out of his birdhouse.

"Hey, easy there," Merlin soon continued. "No, no, go ahead."

The magic soon even moved the chairs that the kids sat on before they got off and moved around while the items shrank and went into the bag.

"Dum doodly doodly doodly dum~," Merlin soon said. "This is the best part now. Higitus figitus migitus mum, Prestidigitonium, Higitus figitus migitus mum, Prestidigitoni~"

Eventually, the last to go inside was the stepping stool and the bag was shut once everything was packed up and ready to go.

"Whoa." Patrick smiled.

"Yep, magic." Atticus smiled back.

"Uh, you mean, you haven't seen magic?" Cherry asked Patrick. "Do you have magic?"

"Not that I know of, but I've always been fascinated by it," Patrick replied. "My little sister too."

"He must not know yet." Cherry whispered to Atticus.

"I have a feeling Merlin might be how Dad finds out that his family has magic." Atticus whispered back.

"Hmm..." Cherry shrugged, not really sure, but it was better than nothing.

"What a way to pack!" Wart commented.

"Well... Well, now, just a minute, kids," Merlin replied as he carried his bag like it was light-weighted. "How else would you get all this stuff into one suitcase, I'd like to know?"

"Oh, but we think it's wonderful!" Wart replied.

"Yeah! We sure do!" Patrick added.

Archimedes looked annoyed about that.

* * *

"Oh. Yes, it is rather. Now, well... Don't you get any foolish ideas that magic will solve all your problems," Merlin then warned them as he was about to lead them out the door before pointing his cane sharply at them. "Because it won't!"

"But sir, I don't _have_ any problems." Wart told Merlin.

"Me either, sir." Patrick said before seeing the wolf behind a tree.

Cherry looked wide-eyed before suddenly looking annoyed once she saw the wolf.

"Oh, bah! Everyone's got problems. The world is full of problems," Merlin replied as he shut the door before getting his beard stuck in the door and tried to get himself free. "Oh, blast it all! There, now. You see what I mean?" he then cried out, trying to get his beard out before it wrapped around his face and left him in a giant hairball.

The kids couldn't help but laugh at that.

"See, that's the trouble with the world today," Merlin complained before they kept going as Archimedes flew after them and the group was unaware of the wolf following them, except for maybe Cherry. "Everyone's butting their heads against a brick wall. All muscle and no mentality. Do you want to be all muscle and no brain?"

"Kinda reminds me of someone actually." Cherry remarked.

"I guess using your brain is much better than using your muscles," Patrick said. "And it would help in certain situations like, maybe, I don't know, against a wolf."

"Quite right, my boy, quite right." Merlin nodded.

"I don't have any muscle." Wart spoke up.

"You don't? Well, how do you move about?" Merlin asked.

"Oh, I suppose I, I do have a little." Wart then said as he walked away as the wolf was just about to chomp on his leg.

"Aha! There, you see?" Merlin chuckled as they kept walking as the wolf slammed its mouth shut, just missing Arthur. "Well, that's enough. Now, you must develop your brain." he then suggested.

Cherry made faces at the wolf to entertain herself before she followed the guys with Merlin's direction.

"But sometimes you have to use both your brain and your brawn," Atticus said. "Well, at times that is."

"Yep and he's done that almost everytime." Cherry told the others.

Merlin soon hopped to the other side as there was no bridge over the water to pass into the next zone.

"Come on, Cherry," Atticus smiled before he jumped after the old wizard. "You can make it."

Wart and Patrick soon went next.

Cherry soon walked back a bit before running forward and jumped high in the air and made it to the other side, though she landed on her stomach and yelped as she nearly slipped and fell until Atticus pulled her up. "Alright, onward." she then said as they kept going.

"This sure is starting out to be a good adventure." Atticus said.

"Maybe for you." Cherry rolled her eyes playfully.

The wolf soon jumped after them, only to get stuck. It then whimpered as it was unable to get free while Cherry smirked.

"So we gotta get to the castle, and first thing tomorrow morning, we'll start a full schedule," Merlin soon told Patrick and Wart as he sledded down the mountain like he was snow skiing before coming into the water below. "Eight hours a day. We'll have six hours for schoolroom and two for study period."

"But I al--" Wart said as he sledded down next before coming into the water below ending up in front of Merlin. "But I don't have the time I have duties."

"It's true, Merlin." Patrick said as he ended up next to Wart.

The wolf slid down next, looking very scared and nervous before ending up in the water, sliding in it and suddenly hit a rock in the water as Cherry smirked at its misfortunes.

"You have duties?" Atticus asked Wart.

"I have page duties so that Kay can learn how to be a knight." Wart explained.

"Uh, page duties? Ha!" Merlin shook his head as he kept leading them away. "Ah, well, we'll change all that. There's got to be a shake-up."

"Well, yes, sir; I suppose so." Wart said as he followed Merlin.

"Yeah, I guess a little shake-up would be nice." Patrick added.

"Bette than nothing?" Atticus asked Cherry.

"Whatever." Cherry replied.

* * *

They soon continued on as a boulder rolled away after them. The wolf climbed up the mountain, panting and was soaking wet before looking wide-eyed as the boulder came down for it.

"How do you ever expect to amount to anything without an education, I'd like to know?" Merlin remarked as he led the kids up the mountain while the wolf ran down the mountain and jumped into the water as the boulder missed it as it came out of the water, only to get hit on the head by a tiny pebble. "Even in these bungling, backward, medieval times, you have got to know where you're going, don't you?" he then asked the kids.

"Yes, I suppose you do." Patrick nodded.

"Yep." Atticus added.

"Y-Yes, sir." Wart nodded as he joined them.

"I guess." Cherry merely shrugged.

"Yes, of course. So, you must plan for the future, kids," Merlin said as he came at the top of the mountain with Archimedes on his head before he looked around and looked confused. "You've got to find a direction. And you've... Now, by the by, what direction is this castle of yours?" he then asked.

"Isn't it North?" Patrick reminded Wart.

"Oh, yeah, it's the other way." Wart then nodded as he pointed in the opposite direction.

Cherry and Archimedes looked annoyed at that.

"Oh, oh. All right, then we better get a move on. Come on, come on, kids!" Merlin then called out as he went to slide down back the opposite of the mountain as Archimedes flew the same way, just as the wolf began to exhaustedly climb up the mountain. "Pick up the pace. Pick it up. Pick it up. Pick it up."

"Are you kidding me?!" Cherry glared at Wart.

"Sorry." Wart smiled sheepishly at her.

"Ugh, this means we're going to be doing more walking." Cherry complained.

"Oh, come on, Cherry; at least we're not going to be walking all the way up a mountain." Atticus told her.

"And then something interesting happens," Cherry grinned a bit darkly and scarily. "We end up doing that! Because life is funny like that! Hahahahah!" she then began to laugh like she began to snap. "These adventures are never going to stop! We're going to be doing this until the day we die! And then what?!"

The wolf panted exhaustedly as it finally made it up to the top of the mountain before looking down to see that Atticus, Cherry, Patrick, Merlin, and Wart were suddenly shown to be going the other way which had to be very frustrating. The wolf then simply passed out as it gave up on chasing after Wart.

* * *

"And our wolf friend has finally given up." Cherry smirked.

"You mean the one that tried to eat Wart?" Patrick asked her.

"Oh, you saw him too?" Cherry asked back.

"Kinda hard to miss," Patrick replied. "So he's gone now?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Cherry smirked. "That is a wolf who is about 100% done."

"After failing to get his meal, he must have given up." Patrick said.

"Well, as a predator failing to get your food as many times as that wolf did; I'd say he made the right choice." Cherry said.

They soon continued on for quite a while.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Meanwhile..._ **

"Yo-ho, the devil take it! No, the devil take it. Anyone's got better sense than to go barging off in that infernal forest alone," A man grumbled and groaned before glaring at his son who was just eating before picking his teeth with the bone. "You had no right letting them go."

"Look, Dad, I am not the Wart's keeper and Patrick's with him anyway." Kay scoffed before he soon tossed the bone over his shoulder to let the dogs have.

"Well, blast it all, I am," Kay's father retorted. "After all, I-I took him in, adopted the lad, you might say. Being his foster father, well, I'm responsible and Patrick's his only friend in this world."

The dogs soon began to start barking as they ran past Kay and Kay's father, Sir Ector, and they soon greeted Wart and Patrick the best way two dogs could as they licked the two boys, causing them to start laughing.

"Hey! Cut it out!" Patrick laughed at the two dogs with Wart.

Merlin peeked through the door with Archimedes on his head while the dogs licked and barked at the boys.

"Tiger! Talbot! Off with you!" Ector scolded as he grabbed the dogs by their collars and pulled them off of Patrick and Wart. "Now, look here, Wart. What's the big idea of gallivanting off in the woods with that friend of yours and worrying the living daylights out of everyone?" he then demanded sharply.

"We're sorry, sir." Wart replied nervously.

"That voice crack though." Cherry whispered to herself.

"I'm sorry, sir." Wart frowned.

"Well, sorry's not enough!" Ector glared. "That's four demerits. Four hours extra kitchen duty. Eh, report to the cook!"

"But sir, we'd like you to meet--" Wart and Patrick started

"Go on, hop it, boys, hop, hop, hop it!" Ector demanded sharply, startling Wart and Patrick which made them run off and leave the room as Kay smirked at them.

"And you think Drell's strict." Atticus said to Cherry.

"I take back everything I ever said about that jerk." Cherry replied.

"Well, yes, you've got to keep a tight schedule to run a big place like this. Need strict rules," Ector continued firmly. "Especially for small boys."

"And I most certainly agree!" Archimedes then spoke up.

"Who are you and--... Oh..." Ector said to Archimedes before catching himself and facing Merlin. "I mean you and your, uh, children?"

"My name is Merlin and this is Archimedes: the highly-educated owl and these two are our new friends: Atticus and Cherry." Merlin introduced.

Cherry and Atticus merely waved after they were introduced.

" _Educated_ owl?!" Ector asked as he cracked up laughing. "Say, that's a good one."

Archimedes glared at that and soon flew away before sitting on the head of a mounted animal on the wall.

"Say. Hey, I know. You've got them under a spell, Marvin," Ector then said to the wizard. "You're a magician."

"My name is Merlin and I happen to be the world's most powerful wizard!" Merlin retorted.

"Come off it, man." Ector replied and kept laughing like it was a joke.

"Okay, Merlin," Cherry glared before looking back at the wizard. "Show this pig what you can do."

"Pig?!" Ector glared back. "Now see here, a young lady should not speak unless spoken to."

Cherry just stuck her tongue out at him.

"All right. I shall demonstrate," Merlin replied as he waved his wand and made magic fly out along with some snow to come down all around Ector. "Higitus figitus migitus moe, wind and snow, swirl and blow!" he then recited the weather spell.

"Brr... What are you up to?" Ector asked as he shivered covered in snow.

"That is what I call a 'wizard blizzard'." Merlin chuckled.

"Clever, Merlin." Atticus smiled.

"Thank you, my boy." Merlin approved.

"Hey, Kay, would you look at this?" Ector asked his son as he shivered with the snow. "An indoor blizzard. And in the month of July!"

"So what?" Kay scoffed as he ate his dinner.

"Oh, you're charming," Cherry rolled her eyes. "Can't even look at something cool, can ya?"

"Well, I like what I'm seeing right now." Kay smirked at her.

"D'oh!" Cherry looked wide-eyed and uncomfortable before Atticus stood in front fo her.

"All right, Marvin! Turn her off!" Ector cried as he was still in the snow. "I'm convinced."

"Alakazam!" Merlin soon called out as he waved his cane like a wand and soon made the snow disappear, though it stuck a little around Ector, making him like a living snowman before he got off of him.

"I, uh... I hope you don't go in for any of that black magic." Ector said to the wizard.

"Oh, trust me; I highly doubt Merlin would ever use black magic." Atticus said while keeping Cherry away from Kay.

"Atticus quite right, my magic is used mainly for educational purposes," Merlin told Ector before gesturing his bag over before sitting on it. "In fact that is why I am here; I have come to educate the Wart and his friend Patrick may join if he so chooses."

"I'm sure that they'll choose wisely," Cherry said before glaring at Kay. "Can I help you with something?!"

"Ey, lovely lady, why don't ya get away from that imp and come here?" Kay smirked.

Cherry shuddered and turned away as she looked nauseous and Atticus glared like a protective brother.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Ector glared at Merlin. "I'm running this place. And if you think you're going to be fiddling with my schedule, you'd better pack up your bag of tricks and be gone!"

Suddenly, Merlin took Cherry and Atticus by their arms and poofed away instantly with them.

"Wha... Well, by Jove," Ector looked surprised and startled. "Hey, they're gone."

"Good riddance to that old man and imp, but I could have enjoyed having that girl around." Kay smirked.

"Oh, we are gone, but then we are not gone," Merlin's voice said before snickering. "So if the three of us do leave, you can never be sure that the three of us are gone."

"Can you?" Atticus and Cherry's voices smirked.

"Well, uh... Well, I must say, you... You got me there, Marvin," Ector said, a bit surprised as he looked around, though saw no one else except for Kay who stuffed his face. "Yes. Well, you win. You're welcome to stay if you like. Those children of yours too."

Then suddenly, Merlin reappeared with the kids.

"Thank you." Cherry smirked.

"You're very kind." Atticus added.

"Very generous, I must say." Merlin nodded.

"Well, uh, all we can offer is room and board. Hard times, you know, Marvin," Ector said as he led the wizard and the kids out of the room before showing a high tower that almost touched the sky. "We'll put you up in the northwest tower. That's the guest room. It's a bit draughty in the winter, but in this blazing hot weather, it's the best room in the house." he then told them.

"We can tell." Atticus said.

"Yeah, it looks rather high." Cherry said with a gulp.

"It's okay, I got ya." Atticus comforted.

"You better..." Cherry narrowed her eyes as she faced him. "I don't wanna fall on your stupid fat head."

Atticus rolled his eyes as he knew she was just saying that because she was covering up for feeling scared, so he put up with it.

"Oh, yes," Merlin remarked as he walked with the kids over to the very tall tower. "Very lovely indeed."

"So just make yourself at home, Marvin." Ector smiled innocently.

"Oh, we will." Atticus told him.

"Marvin? Marvin. Marvin. Marvin. Marvin..." Merlin muttered to himself as he Cherry and Atticus walked into the tower with Archimedes following.

They soon came into the cold, dark tower.

"Well, this isn't so bad..." Cherry shrugged.

* * *

Eventually, it poured down rain and Merlin put umbrellas over the open holes to block out the rain and lightning flashed in the background.

"Best room in the house! Guest room! Unwelcome-guest room!" Merlin complained as he did whatever he could to keep the tower from flooding and protected his personal furniture from getting wet. "But if he thinks that he can get rid of me, I've got news for that old walrus. I'm sticking it out."

"And I say we go back to the woods." Archimedes spoke up as he came out of his birdhouse.

"I'm gonna catch a cold!" Cherry shivered.

"Don't worry, you won't." Atticus said as he used his crystal power to make a warm coat appear on Cherry.

"So much better." Cherry said.

Atticus smiled at her while she just shrugged at him. "You're welcome." he then said.

"No, not on your life," Merlin shook his head at the owl. "Those boys got to have an education and they have futures."

"Closer than you might think." Atticus whispered to Cherry only for her to punch his arm for the heck of it.

Cherry smirked before yelping as the sugar bowl got filled with rainwater and it flicked its spoon at her like pouring sugar.

"Well, you may be right," Archimedes soon smirked. "A couple of skinny kids like that would make some cracking good chimney sweeps." he then laughed before a bunch of water dropped down on top of him, making him cough and sputter.

"Something tells me that you're all wet, Archimedes." Merlin told the owl as he laughed.

Archimedes soon went back inside his birdhouse as a blowhorn was heard from outside.

"Yaugh!" Cherry yelped as the loud noise startled her and she suddenly fell back into a puddle.

A horse neigh was heard before being followed by some galloping outside of the tower and a man was shown to be on horseback from down below with some shouts followed after.

"Who goes there?"

"Pellinore! It's Pellinore, dash it all! I've got big news from London. Big news! Come on, man. Drop the bridge!"

The drawbridge was soon being lowered to allow the visitor to come inside. The tower began to swing back and forth from the vibrations.

"Hmm... Did you hear that, Merlin?" Atticus asked.

"Oh, big news, eh?" Merlin remarked. "They can't wait for _The London Times_. First edition won't be out for at least, uh... 1,200 years!"

"Interesting..." Cherry replied as she got out of the puddle.

"Archimedes, would you mind sailing down there and, and--" Merlin began to ask the owl.

"Not interested!" Archimedes refused sharply.

"Oh, come, come, come, come, now, you're as wet as you can get." Merlin said as he began to poke around in the birdhouse with his wand.

"Come on, Archie, you can do it." Cherry smirked at the owl.

"No! No, no, no!" Archimedes folded his wings as he sat grumpily in his birdhouse.

"Archimedes!" Merlin then called.

"What?" Archimedes glared.

"I'll turn you into a human." Merlin threatened.

"Hmph! You wouldn't dare!" Archimedes glared.

"I will. So help me, I will." Merlin insisted.

"Well, all right, all right," Archimedes complained and soon went flying out of his birdhouse and out the tower window. "All right! All right."

"Works every time just like magic." Merlin said.

"Wait, that isn't the first time you've threatened to turn him into a human?" Atticus asked him.

"Sometimes it's the only way to get a job done around here." Merlin smirked a bit.

"I'll take your word for it," Cherry replied before sighing. "I'm starting to already miss my house."

"I'm gonna join Archimedes to find out what the big news is." Atticus said before using his magic to turn him into a bird.

"Impressive..." Merlin said to Atticus.

"Thanks!" Atticus smiled. "This sounds important."

"Off you go then." Cherry smirked as she flicked Atticus out the window.

"Yah!" Atticus yelped before glaring as he flew after the owl to see what was going on. As he and Archimedes flew into the dining room, the front door soon opened to show the man known as Pellinore, soaking wet.

* * *

"Pellinore? Pellinore!" Ector asked from the dining table and beamed once he saw the man. "Greetings, old boy. And what's all the noise about London, hmm?" he then asked.

Patrick and Wart were shown to be cleaning up the table.

"Big news. Really big news." Pellinore replied as he slid off his dripping wet gloves.

"Sit down, man and let's hear all about it." Ector said.

"They're having a big tournament New Year's Day." Pellinore told him as he sat down.

Patrick couldn't help but listen in to what was being said.

"Oh, that's not news, dash it all," Ector rolled his eyes as Wart put some dishes on a stack together. "They always do."

"Yeah, but, Sir Ector, Ector, here's where all the excitement comes in," Pellinore replied as Ector began to gulp down his glass of wine while Atticus and Archimedes leaned in eagerly. "To the winner of this tournament goes the crown."

This caused Ector to gasp and cough as that surprised him while he was drinking. "You mean he'll be King of _all_ England?" he then asked the other man.

Atticus winced from the spit-take.

"King of _all_ England." Pellinore nodded as he lifted his own wine glass, though some wine dripped onto his nose, making him sniffle.

"Kay, lad, did you hear that?" Ector asked his son.

"Pretty fair prize, I'd say." Kay nodded with a grin.

"Yes, and you can win it, boy, if you knuckle down to your training," Ector nodded. "We'll have you knighted by Christmas and off to London. What do you say?" he then asked.

"Sure. Why not? Why not?" Kay smirked. "I even have the perfect Queen of mine who'll have six or seven sons with me."

Atticus began to look disgusted for Cherry.

"Wart, Patrick, how would you two like to go to London?" Ector asked the two young boys.

"Oh, Sir Ector, you mean it?" Patrick asked hopefully, helping Wart with the dishes.

"Yes if you stick to your duties, one of you can be Kay's squire." Ector replied.

"Oh, I will, sir!" Wart beamed as he went down the stairs with Patrick. "I will."

Suddenly there was a very loud CRASH! as the boys fell down the stairs due to the tall pile of dishes. Atticus winced as that had to be very painful.

"I'm okay..." Patrick said weakly.

Ector and Pellinore began to laugh out of celebration, thinking Kay would win the tournament.

"I don't want either the Wart or Patrick as my squire." Kay said.

"Here's to London!" Ector called as he clinked glasses with Pellinore. "Here's to Kay."

"And here's to the banner of the Castle of the Forest Sauvage." Pellinore added.

"Cheers!" The two men then called out.

Atticus and Archimedes then flew off again to tell Merlin and Cherry what happened as they flew back to the tower.

* * *

Cherry took out a blank page in her scrapbook and began to get ready for a new picture to add to her collection.

"Well, we found out what the big news is," Atticus said as he flew in. "There's a tournament being held on New Year's Day and the winner will be crowned King of England."

"Is that right?" Cherry asked.

"Uh-huh," Atticus nodded. "And I bet you can guess who Sir Ector wants in?"

"Kay." Cherry and Atticus then said with eye rolls.

"Ugh, I am so glad he does not become king." Cherry said.

"Ah, so that must mean you two are from the future if you know that." Merlin said to Atticus and Cherry.

"Uh... Well..." Cherry and Atticus paused bashfully.

"I should have known..." Merlin said as he brought out a crystal ball. "Let me see here."

Cherry tapped her fingers nervously while Atticus rubbed the back of his head.

"...So that's how you know Drell then," Merlin soon said. "You're from the future where he's all grown up and in charge of The Witch's Council and you were both born in the cycle of the planets being aligned which began your new destinies to go on adventures from all over the world and even through time and space."

"Yeah." Atticus and Cherry nodded.

"So, then what brings you here?" Merlin asked.

"What do you think? A new adventure." Cherry replied.

"Well then, what's your adventure?" Merlin asked then.

"We, uh, sorta have to help this timeline," Atticus said. "It appears that our future will be erased back home if we... Uh... Help Wart, I guess?"

"Hmm... Well, alright then." Merlin said.

Atticus soon used his magic and changed back to his human body.

"I miss my room." Cherry said to Atticus as she hugged her scrapbook.

"I know, Cherry, but it won't be forever," Atticus smiled. "Just remember that we're helping the timestream."

"You and the bright side." Cherry rolled her eyes.

"Well, someone has to see the bright side." Atticus smiled.

"Fair enough." Cherry said.

"Get some rest," Atticus smiled. "If you dream about anything important, let me know."

"Can do." Cherry shrugged.

Atticus nodded and he soon went to get some sleep as Cherry stayed awake while holding onto her scrapbook. Merlin soon began to start getting some sleep as the next day would come soon.


	4. Chapter 4

Eventually, the next morning came as Cherry seemed to be sleeping next to Atticus for comfort as she hugged her adventure scrapbook. The rain stopped as a rooster crow was heard and the sun was slowly coming up.

"CHAAAAARGE!" Ector's voice yelled.

"I wasn't asleep, Mr. Kraft!" Cherry cried out once she suddenly woke up and looked around before rubbing her eyes.

"Ugh, what is going on out there?" Atticus asked as he woke up with a yawn. He soon looked outside to see Ector outside with Kay, Wart, and Patrick and saw what kind of training they were doing.

Cherry soon stood by the window with Atticus to see what was going on. Kay appeared to be on horseback, dressed as a knight with armor and a lance. Wart was rolling the crank to make a horse and knight dummy look like it was moving to lance against Kay.

"Weight forward! Lean into him!" Ector called out as he coached his son. "Steady, boy. Steady! Steady with the lance! Grip her tight! Hit him clean!"

Kay kept going forward and where Patrick began to look at how this was going to end and where he somehow knew that Kay would be the one hit and sent flying and the dummy would be left untouched. And where that's what happened as Kay was hit by the dummy's lance, sending him flying. Cherry snickered and shook her head, unable to hold that in.

"No, no, no!" Ector cried out to his son.

Kay kept on flying until he suddenly crashed into the castle as Cherry fell to the floor and cracked up laughing before gasping as the tower began to shake from Kay's crashing.

"HEAD'S UP!" Ector suddenly called out which woke up Merlin.

"Seriously? That woke up Merlin?" Cherry asked.

"Archimedes? Archimedes, where are we?" Merlin asked.

"We're in a tumble-down old tower in the most miserable old castle in all Christendom, that's where." Archimedes scoffed as he came out of his birdhouse.

"C-Castle?" Merlin asked as he looked around. "Castle?"

"Don't you even remember the boys, Merlin?" Atticus piped up.

"Uh, the boy?" Merlin asked, feeling confused.

"Can't you remember one blasted thing?!" Ector's voice called out suddenly.

"Oh, now, just a moment..." Merlin glared as he thought they were insulting him.

"Tight grip on the lance!" Ector's voice continued as everyone came to the window to see what was going on.

"Oh." Merlin then said once he realized they weren't talking to him.

"Loose in the saddle, knees in tight," Ector's voice said as Merlin and Archimedes joined Cherry and Atticus to see Ector putting Kay back on his horse. "Weight forward and stay on target."

Kay's horse soon neighed as it felt Kay's weight as he was back on the saddle. 

"You keep losing your grip," Pellinore advised as Ector put a helmet on his son's head as he took it and wore it firmly as Patrick and Wart got ready. "It's not a mere matter of muscle, sir. Jousting is, uh, uh, a fine skill. It... It's a highly developed science."

"Science, indeed." Merlin scoffed with a chuckle from the window.

"One dummy trying to knock off another dummy with a bit of a stick." Cherry smirked as she nudged his arm a bit.

"And the Wart's just as hot for it, just like the rest of them, as well as Patrick." Archimedes said.

"They sure are." Atticus said.

"They certainly are," Merlin remarked. "Those boys got real spark. Lots of spirit, throw themselves, heart and soul, into everything they do."

Patrick soon made up the lancing dummy while Wart helped him out.

"That's really worth something if it can only be turned in the right direction." Merlin continued.

"Ha-ha!" Archimedes scoffed. "Fat chance of that."

"Oh, I plan to cheat, of course," Merlin then said. "Use magic. Every last trick in the trade if I have to."

Atticus and Cherry winced at each other as they remembered how using magic to win in contests or school events was against the rules unless they were necessary like during visits to The Supernatural Realm.

* * *

After jousting practice, it was time for Wart and Patrick's lessons with Merlin as they were outside the castle with Merlin, Atticus, Cherry, and Archimedes as they walked by the moat.

"I'd give anything to go riding about on a great white charger, slaying dragons and griffins, and man-eating giants." Wart said as he waved a stick around like it was a sword.

"Well, won't you?" Cherry asked.

"Oh. No. You see, I'm an orphan and a knight must be of proper birth," Wart explained. "I only hope that I'm worthy to be Kay's squire. That's a big job too, you know."

Patrick knelt down and scooped some water from the moat and splashed it on his face and smiled peacefully before the water suddenly splashed him again, nearly knocking him down. He then glared and looked around before looking at the moat and some more water splashed him in the face as though someone in the water was splashing him.

"What the--? Where'd you come from and why were you splashing me?" Patrick asked the person in the moat.

Merlin and the others looked to see who Patrick was talking to.

"Well, come out, I know you're in there!" Patrick glared into the water.

"Talking to the water isn't good for you, boy." Merlin advised.

"Someone was splashing me from in there!" Patrick insisted as he stood up and came towards the adult wizard. "Really!"

"Oh, indeed, yes, yes," Merlin replied. "Also, Wart, I would say almost impossible. Yes. Well, now then. When I said that I could swim like a fish, I really meant as a fish." he then explained.

They soon kept walking off as a fish was shown and it suddenly ate a dragonfly as it jumped out of the water and back inside. As they walked off though, a tiny head of a girl with golden blonde hair peeked out with blue eyes with a lilypad on top of her head as they looked away from her direction.

"Humans." The girl smiled as she began to start following after them.

"This, uh, person that splashed you, did you get a good look at him or her?" Atticus asked Patrick.

"I didn't see, I had water in my face," Patrick sighed. "I swear she was there though. You believe me, right, Atticus?"

"Sure, I do, but I think she might be closer than you think." Atticus replied.

"Well, I hope so." Patrick said.

"Sounds like your mother might have made her appearance." Cherry whispered to Atticus.

"My mom?" Atticus whispered back, though mostly shocked and overwhelmed.

"You mean you can turn yourself into a fish?" Wart asked Merlin in amazement.

"After all, I happen to be a wizard." Merlin replied like it was obvious.

"Could you turn me into a fish?" Wart asked.

"And me?" Patrick asked

Do you both have any imagination? Can either of you imagine yourselves as fish?" Merlin asked the two boys.

"I am not being a fish again." Cherry narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, that's easy," Wart smiled at Merlin. "I've done that lots of times."

"Sometimes I've even dreamed it." Patrick added.

"Oh. Well, good. Then I think that my magic can do the rest," Merlin replied as he paused, trying to think of what to say before he looked confused and soon asked for help. "Archimedes, w-what is that fish formula?"

"This is the great Merlin we hear about in books?" Cherry deadpanned as the owl looked just as deadpan as she did before he was suddenly woken up.

"Who? Who? What? What? What?" Archimedes grumbled as he suddenly woke up.

"Try to think," Atticus said. "Maybe it rhymes or is in Latin?"

"Hmm...? Fish? Latin?" Archimedes replied before he shrugged. "Oh, uh. Aquarius aquaticus aqualitus," he then said before flying off over to the nearest tree and went to get some sleep. "A-And now if you don't mind, I say good day to the lot of you, if you please."

"Right, right, since owls are nocturnal they need their rest in the morning." Atticus said.

The girl from earlier began to watch and see how this would play out.

"Cherry gets the same way sometimes." Atticus then said to Merlin.

"When he stays out all night, he's always tired and grumpy the next morning." Merlin then whispered to the kids.

"Then he must stay out every night." Wart smirked.

"Yes, yes. Oh, oh, yes, I say that's very good boy." Merlin said before chuckling.

"Who? What? What?" Archimedes asked as that had woke him up.

"Go back to sleep, Archimedes." Cherry told the tiny owl.

"All right, kids. All set," Merlin said, hitting them with his magic cane briefly in the head. "Here we go."

"Ugh..." Cherry groaned, but she stood up straight and crossed her arms. "Just get it over with."

"Aquarius aquaticus aqualitus quum. Aqua digi tarium." Merlin then recited and the group of four suddenly disappeared in clouds of smoke and magic.

* * *

"Merlin, are we fish?" Wart asked.

"Are we fish?" Patrick added.

"Help! I'm a fish!" Cherry cried out.

"Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, you are fish, but if you don't stop that flippity-flopping around and get in the water, you won't last long," Merlin said as he tried to grab the flopping fish before he soon caught them and went to put them into the water. "Now, now, stay right here in the tules and I'll... I'll be with you in a minute." he then told them.

The blonde girl giggled as the others turned into fish suddenly.

"Did you hear that?" Patrick asked.

"You mean that giggling? Yeah." Atticus nodded.

Wart and Patrick tried their best to swim properly in the water, though Atticus and Cherry seemed to do fine since this wasn't the first time they had become fish. The blonde girl was shown to be hiding away and soon brought out some seaweed and tickled Patrick with it from behind before hiding again.

" _What_ is going on?!" Patrick glared. "This is so annoying!"

"I think someone down here likes you." Cherry smirked.

The blonde girl began to giggle as that was a sign, telling Cherry was right. Patrick began to try and swim up to the blonde girl, but instead ended up in the bottom floor with Wart.

"So you thought you could take right off like a shot, did you?" Merlin chuckled as he joined the kids in his own fish form.

"Well, we are fish, aren't we?" Wart asked.

"You merely look like fish," Merlin clarified as he helped them out before they floated along in the water, passing by a frog who watched them. "That doesn't mean that you can swim like one. You, you don't have the instinct. So, you'll have to use your, your brain for a change." he then advised.

The frog soon kicked Patrick and Wart down through the water.

"You are living between two planes now," Merlin educated. "Somewhere between the ceiling and the floor."

"We can see that," Patrick said. "But then how come Atticus and Cherry are good at swimming as fish?"

"We're used to this," Cherry replied. "It's kind of a long story."

"Yeah, a long story, Dad--" Atticus added. "Dadrick... Patrick."

"Now, there, there's lots of ups and downs... Like... Like..." Merlin demonstrated for Patrick and Wart.

"Like a helicopter?" Cherry asked.

"Ah, yes, like a helicopter." Merlin agreed.

"Helicopter?" Wart and Patrick asked out of confusion.

The blonde girl was just as confused as the boys.

"Yes--" Merlin tried to explain, but then decided not to. "Oh. No, never mind that. Every flick of a fin creates movement," he then advised the boys as he swam a circle around them while Atticus and Cherry watched. "So, first we'll start with a caudal fin." he then said as he swam while waving his tailfin.

Atticus and Cherry soon did the same while Patrick and Wart moved their front fins, not quite getting it yet.

"No, no, boys," Merlin shook his head. "Your tail. Tail!"

Suddenly, Wart sped up and slammed right into Merlin, nearly knocking the wizard's glasses off his face.

"That had to hurt." Patrick winced as he swam over.

"Well, at least one of them didn't go too fast." Cherry said.

"You're doing very well." Atticus smiled at his future father.

"Thanks, Atticus," Patrick smiled back. "Atticus... That's such a unique and special name."

"I always thought so." Atticus nodded.

"Now that gives you a forward thrust, now let's get a rhythm." Merlin said.

"Agreed." Atticus nodded.

"Left and right, Like day and night~," Merlin sang as he led Patrick and Wart around to teach them how to swim like a couple of fish. "That's what makes the world go round~"

A frog soon paddled underneath Patrick and Wart.

"In and out, Thin and stout, That's what makes the world go round~" Merlin then continued.

The frog then swam in a circle around Patrick and Wart before swimming away from them.

"For every up there is a down~" Merlin sang. "For every square~"

"There is a round?" Wart and Patrick asked.

"For every high...~" Merlin then sang as they swam into a log.

"There is a low?" Patrick asked.

"For every to~" Merlin nodded as they swam through as Atticus and Cherry were closer behind him.

"There is a fro~" Wart replied before stopping as the frog was shown and ribbited right in his and Patrick's faces.

"Yes, Fro," Merlin nodded before continuing to sing. "To and fro, stop and go, That's what makes the world go round, In and out, thin and stout~"

They soon passed by a turtle while swimming around as the young blonde girl giggled and watched them and she was shown to have a very light blue tailfin, revealing herself to be a young mermaid.

"That's what makes the world go 'round~," Atticus soon sang as he swam around the turtle with the others. "For every up, there is a down~"

"For every square~" Cherry sang.

"There is a round?" Wart asked.

"Yes," Merlin nodded before singing again. "For every high~"

"There is a low?" Patrick asked.

"Uh-huh," Merlin nodded. "And for every to, There is a?~"

"Fro." The kids asked together.

"Fro. Yes, fro," Merlin nodded as he swam on ahead of them. "Two and fro, stop and go, That's what makes, the world go 'round, Thick and thin, Lose or win~"

Wart and Patrick both soon saw a bug and where Wart swam up to it and ate it.

"Yuck." Atticus cringed after seeing that.

"Why did you just eat that?" Cherry asked Wart.

"I dunno..." Wart frowned. "Merlin! Merlin! I swallowed a bug!" he then called out to the wizard who kept going by himself.

"Oh. What's wrong with that?" Merlin remarked. "After all, my boy, you are a fish. Instinct, you know."

"But you said I had no instinct." Wart reminded him.

"It's true." Atticus said.

"Yes, of--" Merlin replied until he realized what was just said. "Oh. Oh, I did. Well, th-that's neither here nor there," he then said before going back into song. "But the main thing is that you must, Set your sights upon the heights, Don't be a mediocrity~" he then went back to singing as he gestured to the castle onto the surface.

"Mediocrity?" Wart asked as he swam through the holes in the chains.

"That's right," Merlin nodded as he continued. "Don't just wait then trust to fate, And say that's how it's meant to be, It's up to you, how far you go, If you don't try you'll never know, And so, my lads as I've explained, Nothing ventured, nothing gained~" he then continued before swimming onward.

The others then followed before the young mermaid grabbed Patrick by his own tailfin and pulled on him playfully.

* * *

"That does it!" Patrick snapped as he got free and glared right at her. "What do you think you're--" he then paused with wide eyes. "...Y-You're a mermaid." he then whispered in realization.

The blonde mermaid nodded with a smile.

"Where did you come from?" Patrick asked.

"A place called Mermaid Lagoon," The blonde mermaid replied. "You may call me Emily."

Atticus gasped and bit his lip with wide eyes. "Cherry, we just ended up on the day my parents first met!" he then whispered anxiously.

"Great, your very own _Back to the Future_ based adventure." Cherry smirked.

"We now need to make sure more than ever that nothing in the past changes." Atticus whispered to her.

"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah." Cherry whispered back.

Merlin soon led Wart away with him and Cherry and Atticus followed after. Wart and Merlin laughed together as they bonded very well together so far.

"Let's, let's swim through that tall grass again," Merlin chuckled. "It tickles."

The two soon swam through the seaweed and algae as Cherry and Atticus followed, laughing as it did tickle a bit before Merlin came to the end and accidentally swam in front of another fish, bumping into him.

"Oh, I do beg your pardon." Merlin smiled at the bigger fish before swimming the other way.

"Us too." Atticus, Cherry, Wart, and Patrick smiled before joint Merlin.

Emily giggled and waved at Patrick as he suddenly swam away from her.

"For every to, there is a fro, For every stop, there is a go, And that's what makes the world go round~" The kids soon sang together.

Wart kept swimming until he yelped and suddenly got grabbed by the frog. "Oh, let go! Hey, let go!" he then complained.

"Quit it!" Cherry glared at the frog. "Otherwise I'm taking you to Paris, France!"

The frog soon did just that and where this caused Wart to shoot right past Merlin and into a broken mug.

"Big, bag-eyed, bully you." Wart glared at the frog.

"Heh... That wasn't me that time." Cherry smirked.

"Cherry..." Atticus sighed.

"What?" Cherry smirked.

"Who, me?" Merlin asked Wart before seeing the reason that the boy was mad. "Oh, here, here, here, here, here, now, boy. There's no sense in going around insulting bullfrogs. A fish has plenty of other problems without that." he then advised.

"Yeah?" Patrick asked.

"The water world has its forests and its jungles too," Merlin nodded as they continued to swim off. "So it has its tigers and its wolves. And that, ah, ah... That's what makes the world go 'round~"

Cherry soon turned around with wide eyes to see something following them and it wasn't just the frog and where she saw was a fish predator as it began to make its way to the group and where the frog noticed it too. "Oh, this is bad." she gulped to herself.

* * *

"You see, my boys, it's nature's way, Upon the weak the strong one's prey, In human life it's also true~" Merlin sang obliviously as the predator chased after the frog and the kids before they hid in a hole underground as it swam by, but that wouldn't hold it for long and soon began a predator vs prey chase. "The strong will try to conquer you, And that is what you must expect, Unless you use your intellect, Strong and weak, Brains and brawn~"

"Merlin, for Pontus' sake, help us!" Cherry cried out as she swam by with the others.

"Yeah, help!" Wart and Patrick added.

Merlin kept singing until he saw the kids in danger with the predator fish.

"I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die." Cherry panicked.

"Jehoshaphat!" Merlin gasped once he saw what was wrong.

The kids kept swimming around in a panic as Merlin then bit the predator fish's tailfin and tried to make it stop, only for it to swing him away right into a knight's helmet that was in the sand.

"Quick, Merlin, the magic!" Wart suggested as he came to the wizard with his friends.

"No, no. You're on your own, kids," Merlin replied. "Now's your chance to prove my point."

"What point?" Wart asked.

"He means about brains and brawn." Patrick said.

"Even if that gets you beat up in the school cafeteria." Cherry rolled her eyes.

"He's the brawn and you're the brain." Merlin advised.

"Wart!" Patrick cried out.

Wart then swam away like a coward as the predator fish chased him and the others as they swam for their lives.

"Oh, now, don't, don't, don't panic!" Merlin told the kids. "You use your heads. Outsmart the big brute."

"Hmm..." Cherry paused with a smirk and soon came in front of the chain. "Hey, Big Boy, come and get me! I'm a nice tasty guppy!"

The boys looked worried for her before she winked at them. The predator fish soon swam right for them and Cherry moved out of the way in time, getting the predator fish stuck in the chain hole as they swam away from him as she laughed.

"Smart move, lass!" Merlin approved. "That's using the old intellect."

Wart and Patrick then went to hide away behind a wooden post while the predator fish tried to get free. And once it did, the predator fish began to look for its prey to see where they went before seeing Wart and Patrick's shadows behind the wooden post. Wart and Patrick peaked out and saw the Predator fish before hiding back where they were before.

"That was brave of you at least." Atticus told Cherry.

"I swear that I'm somehow sweating underwater." Cherry replied, feeling nervous that the predator fish was coming back.

Wart looked around for a solution until he soon found a spear. "Follow my lead, guys." he then told his old friend and new friends.

The others saw the spears and soon carried them in their mouths while they hid away from the predator fish.

"That big fish is in for quite a pointy surprise." Atticus muffled.

"Yep." Patrick muffled back.

The predator fish soon swam off, looking around for its prey. The kids carried the spears and looked around as well, though the predator fish seemed to be gone as they didn't see it anymore. They looked around and swam back only to come face-to-face with the predator fish who had come up right behind them.

"Sweet Celestia!" Atticus gasped.

Wart, Patrick, and Cherry gasped out of surprised before they used their spears to keep the Predator fish from closing its mouth.

"We'd love to stay for dinner, but you seem to have something stuck in your mouth." Cherry smirked at the predator fish.

"Nice one, Cherry." Atticus remarked as he swam with her and the other two boys.

"Bravo, kids!" Merlin approved. "Great strategy!"

"Is the lesson about over?" Cherry begged. "I've had enough life-threatening experience for one adventure.

"Did you get the point?" Merlin prompted.

"Yes, yes, brain over brawn." Wart and Patrick nodded before gasping and swam away with Cherry and Atticus.

"Okay, kids, I'll fix the big brute." Merlin said as the predator fish swam after them after slamming the spears into pieces in his mouth as the wizard tried to remember the right magic words.

"That predator fish just won't stop!" Patrick yelped.

"We have to cry out for help!" Wart added.

"I hate this, but we can't quit now!" Cherry told them.

"MERLIN!" The kids cried out as they kept swimming out of fear and even jumped out of the water, panicking.

"Now what?" Archimedes complained as he soon woke up before looking concerned as the kids jumped out of the water as the predator fish kept trying to eat them. "Oh! It's those kids!"

"Someone please help!" Cherry called out.

"Anybody!" Atticus added.

* * *

Archimedes soon flew out and went to grab the kids and took them away from the predator fish and helped them out before they could be swallowed. The predator fish then snarled and its mouth clamped down on the owl's foot, making him cry out of pain. The fish soon ended up back in the water and Archimedes splashed in with them, though he had to hold his breath.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I wish Drell were here!" Cherry panicked.

"And I wish I was human size so I could take on that big brute!" Atticus told her.

"Then why don't you already?!" Cherry glared. "You have magic why haven't you tried to do that?!"

"Oh, right. Sorry I kinda got caught up in the moment." Atticus replied.

"AAAUGH!" Cherry cried out.

"So should I be a human or a human-sized fish, do you think?" Atticus asked, trying to keep calm.

"I don't care!" Cherry snapped. "Just make that thing stop chasing us otherwise I will haunt you in the afterlife!"

"Okay, okay!" Atticus told her.

"And please do it now!" Cherry cried out.

Atticus soon used his magic to change himself. The predator fish then continued to chase Cherry, Patrick, and Wart all around.

"My whole life is flashing before my eyes and it's boring!" Cherry cried out.

The predator fish kept chasing the three of them before feeling grabbed from behind.

"Whoa, sorry, but your meal's been canceled, big fella." Atticus's voice glared.

The predator fish glared as it looked behind to see Atticus as his merperson form. Atticus smirked as he grabbed the predator fish by its tailfin and decided to come up to the surface and spun it around and around in his hands before he then let it go, making the water splash around. The predator fish went flying quickly and soon ran right into a couple of rocks, hitting its head and seemed to be knocked out.

"What?" Cherry smirked as she swam by. "You don't wanna fly it to the moon and throw it into the sun?"

"You're welcome, Cherry." Atticus rolled his eyes.

"Yes, thank you, Atticus for doing that at the last second." Archimedes retorted as he coughed from all the water as he got out of the moat.

"Sorry, I guess I got caught up in the moment." Atticus said bashfully.

"Well, that was something." Archimedes replied.

"I guess this means you... I dunno... Care about us?" Atticus smiled.

"Don't get too excited." Archimedes rolled his eyes.

Merlin was soon seen coming out of the water back as his wizard self with the helmet on his head.

"Hey there, Merlin." Atticus greeted.

"What in thunder is a monster like that doing in the moat?" Merlin glared as he pulled on the helmet, soaking himself with the water before he grabbed his cane and came towards the moat, angry with the predator fish. "By George, I'll... I'll... I'll turn him into a minnow."

"Merlin!" Atticus called out. "Wait!" he then pointed at the three who were still measly little fish.

"Oh! Oh, there you are, kids," Merlin said as he recited a spell and changed them back to normal instantly. "Snick snack snorum!"

"Thank goodness," Patrick sighed. "I don't think I wanna be a fish ever again."

"How in the world did you ever get out of that mess?" Merlin asked the kids.

"That... That big fish almost swallowed us a-and Archimedes, h-he tried to save us, b-but then Atticus turned into a big, strong Fishman and pummeled the bigger fish!" Wart explained frantically.

Cherry snorted. "Big, strong Fishman." she repeated teasingly.

"I changed myself into my merman form," Atticus explained. "Which is why I looked like I was part fish and part man."

"It's true, sir." Emily greeted Merlin.

Merlin then stepped back in a bit of a shock once he saw Emily.

"Oh, excuse me," Emily giggled bashfully. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"Incredible..." Merlin whispered as he came closer to her as her tailfin flopped out of the water a bit to prove her point. "Where did you come from?"

"Mermaid Lagoon, I was there with my sisters," Emily replied. "It's in a section of a place called Neverland."

"That is remarkable." Merlin smiled.

"But Archimedes, why did you risk your life to try and save us?" Cherry smirked at the owl.

"I did nothing of the sort!" Archimedes glared as he shook himself dry before going back into the tree. "I intended to eat you all. Young perch is my favorite dish. Merlin knows that!"

"If you say so." Cherry chuckled.

"Oh. Do you believe that, kids?" Merlin remarked.

"Well, I--" Wart began.

"WART! PATRICK!" Ector's voice barked.

"Oh, we gotta go." Patrick said.

"Merlin, thank you, it was so much fun." Wart smiled at the old wizard.

"And Archimedes we-we..." Patrick started.

"Pinfeathers, kids!" Archimedes glared as he dripped wet.

"WART! PATRICK!" Ector continued impatiently.

"Okay, we better go see Sir Ector before he tears us apart," Patrick said to Wart before looking over. "Thanks, Merlin. Thanks, Archimedes. And especially thank you, Atticus."

Cherry then smirked and crossed her arms, hoping to hear a thank you, but she hadn't.

"Let's go," Wart told Patrick before they ran off together. "We're coming!"

"Oh, and thank you, Cherry!" Patrick called out while running off with Wart.

"Now back to Archimedes." Atticus smirked.

* * *

"Why would you half-drown yourself for a tidbit of fish?" Merlin added to the owl as he wrung the water out of his beard. "And after such a big breakfast?"

"Pinfeathers and gully fluff!" Archimedes glared as he spun his neck all around and wrung the water out of his feathers before becoming a giant puffball as though he had fur.

"Oh, yeah," Cherry smirked. "He cares a bit. He's kinda like me."

"He sure is." Atticus smiled.

"Now my dear, how on Earth did you get into the moat in the first place?" Merlin asked Emilly.

"I travel into all kinds of water, especially with this magic amulet I was given," Emily said before she came to shore and showed the necklace she had that looked like an ivory star. "Sometimes the same water all day every day gets boring, so I like to sneak off and explore."

"That's... Interesting." Cherry commented.

"Yes, it really is," Emily smiled. "My sister Athena and I always had an interest in humans, so I like to meet some whenever I can."

"Well, that's one way to travel." Atticus smiled back.

"Yes, it is." Emily smiled back.

"So have you walked before?" Cherry asked her.

"How could I walk when I have a tail?" Emily giggled.

"So... You haven't had a chance to walk on land?" Cherry asked.

"No, I haven't," Emily replied. "It looks silly sometimes whenever Athena and I see people not swimming everywhere they go whenever we travel away from Mermaid Lagoon to meet new people... Neverland's fine with our sisters and all, but how much swimming can one person do in the same water, I always say."

"So you haven't tried?" Merlin asked Emily.

"No." Emily shook her head.

"How would I when I don't have magic like that?" she then asked.

"I guess that necklace of yours doesn't have that kind of magic." Cherry remarked.

"Afraid not," Emily said as she crossed her arms and leaned up against the edge to talk them as her tail splashed in the water. "It'd be nice though to walk like one of you. Especially with that friend of yours."

"Hmm... You know, I could make that happen." Merlin smiled at the young mermaid.

"Really?" Emily asked with a smile.

"I don't know if it'll be permanent, but maybe for a little while, you'd like to walk on land for a while." Merlin suggested.

"Well... Okay!" Emily smiled. "Let's do it!"

Merlin then took out his cane and decided to use it on Emily, giving her a special magic spell, though it took a while to get right as she had a fish head with human legs, then she was a whale, then a jellyfish, before she was on dry land and wore a light blue dress with black shoes. Emily looked down below her waist and grinned before she soon stumbled on dry land and stood up in excitement before yelping as she suddenly fell to the ground since she hadn't walked on land before.

"We'll help you get walk." Atticus told Emily.

"Yeah." Cherry nodded.

"Thank you." Emily smiled bashfully as Cherry and Atticus came to her sides and lifted up her arms and helped her move her legs.

Merlin looked admirable of their friendship as he stepped aside to give Emily some room.


	5. Chapter 5

Meanwhile, Patrick and Wart were telling Ector and Kay about what was going on, though Patrick had a feeling that the father and son would either not care or believe a word they would say.

"We were doing fine until we got in deep water," Wart continued. "Then along comes this huge pike with big jaws and sharp, jagged teeth."

"Oh, turn 'em off, Dad." Kay complained.

"But seriously though, there was a big fish with sharp teeth in the moat; luckily Atticus saved us and sent that fish flying." Patrick smiled.

"The fish was a monster, the biggest fish we had ever saw." Wart said.

"And, boys, that's the biggest fish story I ever heard." Ector glared.

"But it's true, sir." Patrick and Wart defended.

"That's three demerits for being late and three more for the fish story," Ector scolded before he sent them away. "Now, hop into the kitchen!"

Kay was soon heard laughing. "I told you them boys was loony!" he then mocked as they left to the kitchen.

"They're either rather out of their heads or there's something mighty fishy going on around here." Ector said as Wart and Patrick made their way to the kitchen.

"I guess it _did_ sound like it couldn't be real to others." Patrick said to Wart.

"I guess they had to be there," Wart sighed. "Oh, well."

* * *

The two soon went to cleaning in the kitchen as Wart began to sing Merlin's song.

"For every high, There is a low, For every to there is a fro, To and fro, Stop and go, That's what makes the world go 'round~" Wart sang as he cleaned up with Patrick, but they would have some company soon.

Merlin was on his way to see Patrick and Wart as Atticus followed the wizard, only for Cherry to be stopped.

"Aw, forget those guys," Kay smirked at Cherry. "You could always go for someone like me."

"I'd rather lick my adventure teacher's shoes than hang out with you." Cherry glared in disgust.

"You don't know what you're missing." Kay smirked.

"Oh, believe me, I think I do." Cherry said before getting away from him. She soon joined the others in the kitchen.

* * *

"Did he touch you?" Atticus asked Cherry.

"No, but I wouldn't mind it if my fist met his face." Cherry smirked.

Merlin soon tapped the pot to get Wart's attention as he scrubbed it.

Wart then looked up and smiled at the wizard. "Oh, it's you, Merlin, sir." he then said.

"Yes, my lad, now have either you considered of being a squirrel?" Merlin asked Wart and Patrick.

"No, sir." Patrick shook his head before seeing Emily walking in next to them.

Emily giggled as she poked her head out from behind the wizard. Patrick glanced at her before smiling a bit bashfully.

"Well, now, there is a tiny creature with enormous problems," Merlin remarked. "How he has survived throughout the ages is one of nature's big mysteries. His life is hazardous. Downright dangerous."

Patrick and Wart glanced over as they continued to clean up.

"Uh, would you like to try it?" Merlin asked the boys.

"Oh, no, I'd better not." Wart shook his head.

"Oh, ho, too dangerous for the two of you?" Merlin asked playfully.

"Oh, no; it's not that, Merlin." Patrick said.

"It's just that we've got six demerits," Wart added as he scrubbed with Patrick. "All this work to do."

"Bummer." Emily pouted.

"What a mess!" Merlin gasped. "What a medieval muddle. We'll have to modernize it. Start an assembly-line system." he then said before he went to move to the other side of the room to take care of the chore.

"Uh, I don't think we should do that." Cherry spoke up nervously.

"But by the time they're done with all of these dishes, it'll be sundown." Merlin told her.

"He does make a good point." Emily said.

"As long as you use that magic correctly," Cherry warned. "I tried to use magic to wash my dishes back home once and it ended up becoming a Pots and Pans monster that attacked me!"

"That's because you read your spell wrong." Atticus reminded.

"Don't help me~..." Cherry rolled her eyes.

"All right now. One and a-two and a-three and a-four!" Merlin began as he then used his magic to make the dishes stand up and moved the washing tub and the dishes went into the tub to get instantly washed as he recited his spells. "Higitus figitus migitus mum, Skitun de bitun de batun de dum~"

"Wart and I are supposed to do the dishes." Patrick said.

"Yeah." Wart nodded.

"Well, as long as no one tells anyone else about this, it is like you are doing them." Emily said.

"No one will know the difference, kids," Merlin reassured. "Who cares as long as the work gets done?"

"My thoughts exactly." Emily agreed.

"Oh, this just better not backfire." Cherry groaned.

"Rubbedy scrubbedy, Sweepety flow~" Merlin continued as the clean dishes piled up and the mops began to mop around the wet floor and the brooms swept the dust away before he decided to let the magic take care of the rest from there. "Come on, kids. Let's go, let's go." he then told the kids before leaving the kitchen with them.

The kids soon began to follow Merlin out of the kitchen as the dishes were getting cleaned along with the kitchen itself.

"This seems to be going well." Atticus said.

"Also that one time with Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather..." Cherry smirked.

"Cherry..." Atticus sighed.

"Atticus." Cherry smirked.

"Are you two related?" Emily asked.

"Maybe not by blood, but I guess he's been like a brother to me for a long time now." Cherry shrugged.

"Yep, it's true." Atticus nodded.

"Nice." Emily smiled.

* * *

They soon came out into the forest.

"I know you're just experiencing being a human, but right now, I believe it's time to be squirrels." Merlin said to Emily.

"This is going to be quite a day." Emily said.

"Yep." Atticus nodded.

"Time to go squirrel." Cherry said.

Soon, Merlin worked his magic and turned all of them into squirrels and it was time to explore life from at the top of a tree.

"Wart. Wart! Wart. Now, take it easy," Merlin warned the boy who was already running across the tree, now as a brown squirrel. "Take it easy, boy. Wart! Oh, no, boy! No, no!"

Wart soon lunged out and jumped, grabbing onto a faint branch before it suddenly snapped and he fell from the tree.

"Wart!" Merlin cried out.

"Whoa. Oh!" Wart yelped before he fell and grabbed onto a stronger branch and dangled from it.

"Now, what did I tell you?" Merlin, who was now a blue squirrel, scolded from another tree. "Always look before you leap."

"It's always important to look before leaping." Atticus said as a red squirrel.

"Blah, blah, blah..." Cherry muttered, being shown as a black squirrel.

"Well, I made it, didn't I?" Wart asked before Patrick helped him up, who appeared to be a green squirrel, standing with Emily, who was a golden blonde squirrel.

"Yes, yes, you made it," Merlin replied. "You made it, but you, you can't always trust to luck, boy. Now, first thing you start with the short jumps. Gauge the distance carefully," he then began to demonstrate. "And... Oh!" he then jumped out and yelped as he nearly slipped and fell before he grabbed onto the branch, nearly losing his glasses. "Now, there, you see? Even, even, even then you can miss," he then advised the kids. "So, don't take gravity too lightly or it'll catch up with you."

"What's gravity?" Patrick and Wart asked.

"Gravity is what forces you to fall." Atticus explained.

"Exactly." Merlin said as he pointed down for emphasis.

"They don't know what gravity is?" Cherry raised an eyebrow.

"This is before Isaac Newton." Atticus reminded her.

Cherry just shrugged at that.

"Oh, like a stumble or a trip?" Wart asked Merlin more about gravity.

"Yes, it's like a stumble or a--" Merlin began to reply until he realized what the boy said while the kids climbed all around the tree in their new squirrel bodies before a new squirrel who wasn't apart of their group was shown. "No, no, no, no, no," he then shook his head. "It's the force that pulls you downward. The phenomenon that any two material particles or bodies, if free to move, will be accelerated toward each other."

"Ohh," Patrick said, now understanding. "So it's more like falling than tripping or stumbling."

"In a way, yes, it is like that." Atticus said.

A female squirrel soon ran into them.

"Oh, uh, hello." Cherry blinked at the squirrel.

The female squirrel smiled at them, though mostly at Wart and she seemed to block their way.

"Merlin, how will we get by?" Wart soon asked the wizard.

"Hmm?" Merlin blinked before he saw the female squirrel and decided to move them elsewhere. "Oh. Oh, well, I-I suppose we better go back to a sidetrack."

But as they went the other direction, they soon heard the female squirrel following after Wart.

"Uh-oh. We know that look anywhere." Atticus whispered to Cherry.

"I'm just glad that squirrel girl doesn't have a brother or something." Cherry grinned sheepishly, trying not to laugh at Wart's dilemma.

"Go on, go on," Wart said, trying to shoo away the female squirrel. "You got lots of room."

"Well, I guess she can't be sidetracked," Merlin chuckled as the female squirrel messed around a bit with Wart as she looked like she had a huge crush on him. "That's a girl squirrel, that, and a redhead at that."

"She sure acts funny." Wart commented.

"Well, she likes you." Patrick told his friend.

"Yep, and when someone's in love, they first start off as a crush and where she's showing the clear sign of love." Atticus smiled.

"Yep, sorry, but there's nothing we can do about that." Cherry smirked.

"Now, Cherry, don't laugh--" Atticus began.

Cherry soon broke down laughing anyway. "You got a squirrel girlfriend! You got a squirrel girlfriend!~" she then teased Wart in a singsong tone.

Atticus sighed and shook his head.

"Yes, well, well, well, that's nature again, but I'm afraid there's no time to explain," Merlin chuckled as the squirrel girl continued to chase Wart all around, refusing to leave him alone. "Here, here, now. You better leave me out of it." he then said, deciding to give the two some privacy.

"Sorry, Wart, but I'm not getting involved." Patrick said as he and Emily joined Merlin.

"Same here." Atticus and Cherry added as they joined Patrick, Emily, and Merlin.

"Merlin! Merlin!" Wart cried out as he was going to be stuck for a while.

The squirrel girl giggled as she dragged Wart by his tail and buried him with her bushy tail.

"You're on your own, lad," Merlin chuckled as he picked an acorn from afar. "I'm afraid magic can't solve this problem."

Cherry was still laughing at Wart's misfortune.

"You shouldn't laugh like that." Emily told Cherry.

"It's kinda funny~" Cherry replied innocently.

"All we can do is watch." Atticus said.

"I guess so." Patrick replied.

Cherry was still laughing while the others sighed and shook their heads at her.

"Look, I-I'm not a boy," Wart said as he tried to avoid the squirrel girl who fussed over him. "I mean... I'm not a squirrel. I'm a boy. A human boy. Not a real sq--"

The squirrel girl then wrapped her tail around him and kissed him all over his face.

"Oh, leave me alone!" Wart complained once he got free from her and soon came over to the wizard in frustration. "Merlin, what'll I do? She won't leave me--"

"Well, I'm afraid you're stuck, lad," Merlin remarked. "Well, when a girl squirrel chooses a mate, it's for life." he then added.

"But I won't be a squirrel tomorrow." Wart told Merlin.

"But she doesn't know that; she only knows one simple fact, that you're a him and she's a her." Merlin replied.

"Yeah, so you gotta deal with it, Pimple." Cherry replied.

"It's Wart." Patrick corrected.

"Yeah... That's better..." Cherry deadpanned.

"That's a natural phenomenon." Atticus advised to Wart while he tried to get away from the female squirrel who continued to stalk him.

"Phenomenon-menum?" Wart asked before hiding in Merlin's tail as the squirrel girl kept coming back.

"Well, it's the, uh... It's a state of being," Merlin explained before pointing at his tail so that the squirrel girl could find him. "A frame of mind, It's a most befuddling thing~" he then began to sing.

"Oh, nice," Cherry sounded weary. "Another song."

"If you don't want to hear it then tune it out." Atticus suggested as he magically gave her squirrel-sized earplugs.

Cherry soon accepted them and put them in her ears. The squirrel girl was seen getting Wart out of his hiding place before he put her hands down so she would stop touching him until she kissed his nose twice.

"It's a state of being, a frame of mind, It's a most befuddling thing, And to every being of every kind, It is discombooberating~," Merlin soon sang as Wart kept running for his life. "You're wasting time resisting, You'll find the more you do, The more she'll keep insisting, Her him has got to be you~"

"Leave me alone!" Wart cried out. "I mean it!"

"It's a rough game anyone knows~" Merlin continued as Patrick and Emily sat together.

"Go away!" Wart cried as the girl squirrel kept going anyway.

"There are no rules, anything goes, There's no logical explanation, For this discombooberation~" Merlin continued to sing before a certain predator was shown below the tree. "It's a most befuddling, most befuddling thing~"

"You again?" Cherry glared once she saw the wolf. "Why I oughta turn you into dog food."

Wart soon went and jumped off the branch of the tree and ended up on the next tree as the squirrel girl gasped, thinking he wouldn't have made it. As Wart ended up at the other tree, he slid down it and ended up on Archimedes as he was fast asleep.

"Ooh, Archimedes isn't going to be too happy about that." Atticus said.

* * *

"Oh! Who? Who? What... What..." Archimedes grumbled as that woke him up and he went to shove Wart away from his personal space. "Now, go on. Shoo! Get a tree of your own. Skedaddle!"

Wart was soon pushed off and ended up on top of a bird who was in its nest before it glared at Wart, pecking at his head and even pulled on his tail with its beak before Wart escaped into the tree hole.

"Wart, you okay?" Patrick asked as he came by the tree hole.

"Is she gone?" Wart asked back as the squirrel girl came up behind him.

"Uh..." Patrick grinned nervously.

"What?" Wart asked before looking to see the squirrel girl was next to him before he started to make a run for it again with the squirrel girl following him by the tail.

"Good luck." Patrick told him.

"Patrick, you snitch!" Wart cried out as he ran away from the squirrel girl.

Eventually, Archimedes tried to get some more sleep, only for Wart and the squirrel to ruin it for him again.

"You... You... You... You..." The owl glared as he soon chased after them through flight. "Oh, you squirrelly squirrels!"

"She's gaining on you, Wart!" Merlin teased the boy who was clearly not having a fun time.

"So helpful." Cherry deadpanned about Merlin's behavior.

"Oh, don't worry, Cherry; I have a feeling karma is about catch up with Merlin fro that teasing." Atticus said.

"Oh, this I'll have to see." Cherry smirked.

"There's no sensible explanation, For this discombooberation, It's a most hodge-podgical~," Merlin continued to sing as he balanced and played with the acorn he had picked. "Most illogical, Most confusiling, Most bamboozling, Most bemuddling, Most be-befu fuddling~"

A large female squirrel was soon shown as she came to Merlin with a coy grin and even treated him like the young squirrel girl was treating Wart.

"Thing?" Merlin gulped nervously as the squirrel woman came to have her fun with him. "Really, now, Miss, uh... Madam. I, uh... You, you, you've made a mistake. Now, now, now, please. Please, you... Oh! Madam! Madam! Now, look here. I am not a boy."

The squirrel woman grinned and ignored him as she gave Merlin a taste of his own medicine of what had happened to Wart with the little squirrel girl.

"I-I mean, I'm... I'm not a squirrel. I'm a b--... No, that's not what... No!" Merlin cried before laughing as she began to tickle him.

"Oh, dear..." Cherry commented. "Who knew squirrels were such flirty rodents?"

"Well, now we know." Atticus said.

Merlin kept trying to tell the squirrel woman that he wasn't a squirrel, but couldn't as she kept tickling until he finally got himself out of the tickling trap. A squirrel's tail soon came on top of Atticus's head.

"Uh-oh... Looks like you're next." Emily warned Atticus.

"Aw, man..." Atticus groaned before turning around to see a bright orange squirrel girl behind him.

The squirrel girl giggled before she soon saw Cherry and looked ready to attack the perky goth.

"What's happening now?!" Cherry asked.

"I think you two have to fight for dominance over Atticus." Emily advised.

"Aw, HECK NO!" Cherry complained as she got out of the way. "I'd rather lick the bathroom floor than kiss Atticus!"

"I would never in a million years want to kiss Cherry, she's like a sister to me," Atticus said. "And we are just friends."

The squirrel girl soon looked happy and relieved to hear that as she hugged him.

"Oops." Cherry smirked.

Atticus sighed as now he was stuck with his own squirrel girlfriend.

"Have fun, Atticus." Cherry smirked as she left the two of them alone.

* * *

"No. I'm a stupid old--" Merlin glared at the squirrel woman. "No! I'm an old man. An old human. Understand?"

The squirrel woman continued to tease him before kissing him right on the lips.

"Oh, hang it all!" Merlin complained. "Now, go away. Shoo, shoo."

The squirrel woman grinned and batted her eyelashes at him, refusing to leave him alone.

"Yeah, sorry, Merlin, but she's not going anywhere." Patrick smirked as he and Emily sat and watched.

"Nope, not one bit." Emily shook her head.

"Uh, you two seem close," Cherry smirked. "Maybe you should spend some more alone time together."

"Oh, uh, I dunno... Maybe..." Emily replied, unaware that she was meant to be with Patrick in the end.

"I think you should!" Cherry urged. "It might be great for you guys!"

"Um, o-okay." Emily said startled by that.

"I wouldn't mind the company." Patrick said.

The squirrel woman continued to flirt with Merlin as she had pushed him at the tree, causing his glasses to be crooked as she kept giggling.

"Impossible. Impossible!" Merlin complained as he put his glasses back on straight. "Ooh, confound it! Confound it all!"

The squirrel woman giggled as she played with his tail and wiped herself with it.

"Merlin, I'm tired of being a squirrel," Wart frowned as he came up to the wizard. "It's nothing but trouble."

"Oh, you've got trouble?" Merlin glared. "Look at my... Look back there!"

The squirrel woman giggled as she continued to play with him.

"One side, lad." Merlin glared as he charged away as the squirrel woman chased after him.

Wart then slipped off of the tree branch he stood on and soon fell and grabbed a lower branch that was close to breaking apart. "Help, Merlin!" he then cried out as this looked bad for him. "Help!"

* * *

The wolf looked ready to eat Wart this time for good. The squirrel girl soon gasped as she looked worried about Wart before she hurried over to help him before he would fall to become a snack to the wolf.

"Wart!" Patrick gasped.

The squirrel panicked and she soon ran for it and grabbed Wart's paw to save him. Wart tried to hold on this time since she was trying to save him, but his paw seemed to slip, even with her help. Wart soon fell with the branch and the branch landed on top of the wolf. The wolf got hit right on the head before coming right back up and Wart was on the ground and soon began to run away from the predator. Unfortunately for him, Wart's tail was stuck in the branch as the wolf put his front right paw on the branch so it could eat him. The squirrel girl soon went to the wolf before starting to bite his left back leg and where he felt each bite.

"Hahah! Go get 'em!" Cherry laughed as she soon cheered for the squirrel girl.

The wolf soon cried out in pain before he suddenly dropped her and then began to chase her, looking ready to eat her.

"Fly, Squirlette, FLY!" Cherry then called out.

The squirrel girl soon jumped out over a cliff before gliding right back as though she heard Cherry and ended up on a dead tree in front of the cliff. The wolf then went crashing down the cliff and ended up in the river down below and a log soon fell after it and the wolf was now stuck in the log and soon began to float downriver, now stuck and unable to move.

"Smart thinking." Emily smiled at the squirrel girl.

The squirrel girl soon hurried over to Wart as she tackled him with a hug, getting his tail free.

"Ooh, brother." Cherry sighed as the squirrel girl fussed over Wart again.

"By George! I've had enough of this nonsense!" Merlin complained at the squirrel woman before he fell from the tree and ended up crashing in a pile of leaves. "Alakazam!" he then called out.

The squirrel woman came to look for him... Only for Merlin to no longer be a squirrel, but in his true form as he looked very angry with her. "There. Now you see? I'm an ugly, horrible, grouchy old man!"

The squirrel woman was both scared and disappointed before she went to hide away in the tree.

"Merlin!" Atticus and Wart cried out as their squirrel girlfriends kept coming at them.

"Quick, Merlin, the magic!" Patrick suggested.

"Snick snack snorum." Merlin soon recited the magic words as the group who were squirrels through magic changed back into normal form.

"There. Now you see?" Wart said to the squirrel girl who kept hugging him until she saw what had happened. "I am not a squirrel. I'm a boy. I tried to tell you. A human boy. Oh, if you could only understand."

The squirrel girl soon climbed up the tree into the tree hole and began to cry from heartbreak.

* * *

"Finally, she's gone." Cherry said in relief.

"Oh... But I feel a little bad for her." Atticus suddenly frowned.

The squirrel girl that was with Atticus seemed to be smart enough to not let her heartbreak cause her to cry as well, but instead went to comfort the other squirrel girl.

"Take good care of your friend, alright?" Atticus asked.

The other squirrel girl chattered at him.

"Yes, I'm sure you're a good friend," Atticus smiled. "I'm so sorry this had to happen though."

The other squirrel girl chattered before beginning to comfort the first squirrel girl.

"Poor thing." Emily frowned.

"I feel a little bad for her." Atticus added.

"She'll get over it, she's just a squirrel." Cherry shrugged.

The others looked at her, a bit firmly.

"...W-What?" Cherry asked.

"Where is your empathy?" Atticus scolded Cherry. "I know she was just a squirrel, but Hazel was in love with Wart."

"Ugh, you _named_ that rodent?!" Cherry replied. "You shouldn't name things, then you get attached to them!"

"Cherry, I am afraid Atticus is right; Hazel won't get over it, love is a powerful thing," Merlin said. "Even if she might be a squirrel, she will be heartbroken for a while."

"Why not? Heartbreak was rough..." Cherry shrugged.

* * *

_Cherry had a flashback of being in the orphanage and writing a secret Valentine to give to someone and soon put it in his gym locker and hid away to make sure the boy would get it. The boy was shown to be coming to his gym locker to get his jersey out before finding the Valentine, looking disgusted. Cherry grinned hopefully... Only to feel suddenly emotionally crushed. The boy soon ripped up and shredded the Valentine and found a box of candy hearts and stomped on it and soon left his locker, slamming the door shut with a huff and throwing his jersey over his shoulder._

* * *

Cherry let out a small yelp and bowed her head with tears in her eyes.

"Let's just move on." Cherry mumbled as she wiped tears in her eyes in present day.

"Besides, we better get back to the kitchen to make sure that the spell hasn't gone out of control." Atticus said.

"That can happen?" Patrick asked.

"Cherry?" Atticus prompted.

"Let's just say we've had magical mishaps back home." Cherry chuckled sheepishly.


	6. Chapter 6

They soon came into the kitchen as the spell was still going and even Ector, Kay, and the kitchenmaid were under distress in the spell.

"Now, what have we here?" Merlin asked as he opened the door as bubbles flew everywhere during the kitchen cleaning chaos.

"Jumpin' hop toads! This is getting worse!" Wart gasped. "Atticus and Cherry were right!"

"See? Even if you do a spell correctly, you also have to know when to stop the spell before it goes out of control." Atticus said.

"Merlin, you better put a stop to this spell." Emily said.

"Please, allow me," Merlin replied as he would work his magic to do just that. "ALAKAZAM!"

The cleaning tools soon stopped doing what they were doing and suddenly, the washtub crashed down on the floor with Ector inside of it. Cherry put her hand to her mouth as she chuckled a bit at what happened to Ector, feeling that he deserved that.

"So there you are, you old goat," Ector glared once he saw the wizard, waving his sword which was cut in half somehow. "Well, what's the big idea of you flinging your evil spells all over the place, hmm?" he then grunted as he was unable to get out of the tub on his own. "Oh, oh, lend me a hand, boy."

Kay soon came over and helped his father out of the tub and was able to... Only for him to slip and fall into the tub next due to the slippery soap. Cherry soon laughed even harder at what had happened to Kay.

"Well, what do you have to say for yourself, hmm...?" Ector asked Merlin firmly before coughing out some bubbles.

"You call washing dishes and sweeping floors a work of evil?" Merlin asked back.

"I do have to admit, that's a little strange." Cherry smirked.

"Ladies should not speak unless spoken to." Ector firmly told Cherry as he looked at her.

Cherry then stuck her tongue out behind his back as he looked back at Merlin.

"I'll decide what's right or wrong around here," Ector sharply told the wizard. "Besides, that's the Wart's job. One of his duties," he then faced Patrick and Wart who just glared at him. "Uh, and look here, boy. If you want to make that trip to London, you'd better tow the mark. The same will go for you, Patrick."

"You old goat, if I ever catch you in my kitchen again, I'll--" The kitchen maid glared at Merlin.

"Madam, you won't," Merlin glared back before looking over to Atticus and Cherry. "Care to join me?"

"Gladly." The two replied before they suddenly went with him through magic, shocking the kitchen maid a bit.

"Oh, dear. They're gone." The kitchen maid gasped.

"Well, by Jove." Ector said, wide-eyed as bubbles came out of his mouth.

"We ought to run the old geezer and them kids right out of the castle." Kay suggested.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, Kay. No," Ector panicked as he covered his son's mouth out of fear. "He might cast an evil spell on the lot of us. And turn us all to stone. No. There's no telling what the old devil might do next." he then warned him.

"He's not an old devil, he's good!" Wart defended.

"And his magic is good too!" Patrick added. "I-If you would just leave him alone!"

"Now, look here, boys," Ector glared. "That's three more demerits for both of you."

"Box their ears, Dad." Kay grinned meanly.

"Just because you can't understand something, it doesn't mean it's wrong." Wart glared with Patrick.

"10 more demerits." Ector glared back.

"You make all the rules and nobody can say anything." Wart and Patrick glared back as tears began to form in their eyes. 

" **YOU'VE SAID PLENTY, BOYS!** " Ector snapped as he backed them away, coming toward them. "All that popping off just cooked your goose. Kay, from now on, young Hobbs is your squire." he then told his son.

Kay smiled fiendishly while Patrick looked shocked and depressed for Wart.

"Did you hear that, Wart?" Ector then continued with a smug smile. "From now on Hobbs is going to be Kay's squire."

"Y-Y-Yes, sir." Wart replied, trying to hold back his tears.

"Now that'll teach you to pop off, you little pipsqueak." Kay smirked as he went to follow his father before he looked at the broom and cut it in half with his sword.

"Oh, my..." Emily frowned.

The three of them were soon seen alone in the kitchen.

"I'm sorry you had to see that." Patrick said to Emily.

"It's okay," Emily replied softly. "I thought it was brave and nice of you to stand up for Wart, even if nothing came from it."

"I'm glad I did too," Patrick smiled sadly. "He's like the brother I never had sometimes."

Merlin, Atticus, and Cherry soon began to appear out of magic.

"I'm sorry, lads, sorry I spoiled everything for you; I know that trip to London means a great deal to you." Merlin said softly to Wart and Patrick.

"Oh, it's... It's not your fault," Wart said softly. "We shouldn't have popped off. Now we're really done for."

"No, no, you're in a great spot, my boys, but you can't go down now." Merlin advised.

"He's right," Atticus agreed. "It can only be up from here."

"We'd like to know how." Patrick and Wart replied softly.

"Use your heads," Merlin said as he hit the top of their heads with his cane. "An education, lads."

"What good will that do?" Wart asked as he and Patrick rubbed the top of their heads.

"Get it first and who knows? Ready to give it a try?" Merlin asked the two young boys.

"It's the best we got." Patrick said to Wart.

Wart heaved a sharp sigh. "What have I got to lose?" he then replied.

"That's the spirit!" Merlin grinned as he patted the boys on their backs. "We'll start tomorrow! We'll show them. Won't we, boys?"

"Yes, we sure will." Wart shrugged in defeat.

"Uh, Merlin, could someone tell when a spell is about to wear off?" Emily asked.

"Yes, you'll probably feel a strange surge deep down inside of yourself, almost like your life is being drained or sucked out," Merlin explained. "It's quite a surprising and quickly painful feeling."

Emily began to wobble a bit and this reminded Atticus of when Ariel didn't kiss Eric in time and suddenly, his future mother began to suffer the same fate as her legs disappeared and her mermaid tailfin came back.

"Oh, dear..." Merlin said to her. "I suppose that spell ended quicker than I anticipated."

Patrick soon picked up Emily and bridal style carried her back to the moat as fast as he could.

"Looks like the power of love knows no bounds." Merlin smiled.

"Love?" Patrick and Emily asked, blushing.

"Ah, yes, I can sense it in you two," Merlin chuckled. "You both appear to be twitterpated."

"Last I heard that word, it involved a deer." Cherry commented.

"We'll talk about this later." Patrick said as he hurried Emily to the moat.

"So, Patrick and Emily are really in love?" Wart asked.

"Ah, I can tell that he fancies here and she might too." Merlin chuckled.

"I sure hope so anyway." Atticus replied.

Wart gave him a funny look.

"Uh, I-I-I mean... Uh... I had a feeling about them..." Atticus smiled sheepishly. "I just... You know... They seem like a perfect match."

"Now how's about you two tell us why you are here; you must have a reason." Merlin said.

"I'm sure it might end up altering the future." Atticus said.

"Yeah, time travel's kinda funny about that sorta thing." Cherry added.

"So, you travel to different times and worlds?" Merlin asked.

"Yeah, it's sorta hard to explain, but we've been chosen to go on many adventures like this," Cherry tried to explain. "I dunno why we were chosen, I guess the universe just likes to mess with us or something."

"Rather interesting." Merlin said.

"Sure is," Wart agreed. "But do you know why you're here?"

"Yes, we do, we have to keep something from the past from being altered, but everything seems to be going perfectly only one thing," Cherry said to Atticus. "I thought they had first met at the beach?"

"You don't think that'll make me disappear or something, do you?" Atticus asked Cherry.

"If not, it looks like I might have a new best friend in present day." Cherry said with wide eyes.

Atticus looked a bit wide-eyed and scared about that.

"Just think! We go back home and then you're not there!" Cherry gasped, giving him a bit of paranoia as she smirked, and he even began to look very pale in the face, like he was about to pass out. "I'll have this whole other life I wouldn't even remember or know about and then you'd **NEVER BE ABLE TO SHOW YOUR FACE IN GREENDALE AGAIN!** "

"Now, now, if I know one thing about time travel, it's that as long as Patrick and Emily meet and fall in love, Atticus will be fine in the future." Merlin winked at them.

"Whew." Atticus smiled.

"Well, I guess it's alright to tell you then." Cherry shrugged.

"I'll erase their memories after the truth if you wish." Merlin whispered to Atticus and Cherry.

"Would they even believe us?" Cherry asked. "It's kind of a shock, magic or no magic, especially in time travel movies I've seen."

"I think they'd believe anything, especially after meeting Merlin." Atticus said to her.

Cherry rolled her eyes at him before looking at Patrick. "Well, kid, we have a secret to tell you." she then began and decided to do this slowly and paused, giving him time to react.

"Um, okay." Patrick said.

"You see, Atticus is kinda yours and Emily's son in the future." Cherry told him.

"...What?" Patrick asked flatly.

"Yes, you're both hundreds of years old, but somehow you decided to start having kids in the 21st century," Cherry shrugged. "The reason why you did that is beyond me since you were both alive as long as Drell has been. I mean, when our friend Sabrina was born, at least her dad met her mom in the modern world."

"...Excuse me..." Patrick said as he walked away with wide eyes. "This is a lot to take in... How could I have married a mermaid?"

"You told me it was a special magic spell," Atticus smiled. "Kinda like how Ariel and Eric got together and she decided to leave Neverland because she wanted to be a human girl after meeting someone like you and you saw each other again and fell in love."

"Too much information." Cherry coughed.

"Oh, my...." Patrick groaned as he held his head.

"Whoops." Atticus smiled sheepishly.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that..." Patrick said as he rubbed his head wearily.

"The point is, you'll find true love," Atticus smiled. "And we're gonna get you out of this dump."

"I only come here to help Wart since my sister helps those Gummi Bears." Patrick nodded as Cherry snickered at the mention of The Gummi Bears.

"Would you like to see the Gummi Bears in person?" Merlin asked Cherry firmly.

"Sure, why not?" Cherry smirked. "Maybe they'll give me a Bear Hug of Death."

"Oh... Come along..." Merlin said in annoyance.

"I'm sorry about her," Atticus said to the wizard. "Cherry sometimes forgets to take things seriously."

"It's quite alright, but perhaps once she sees the Gummi Bears, she'll take them seriously." Merlin said.

"Sounds like a good idea." Atticus smiled.

* * *

Later on, they left the kitchen and decided to get some work done.

"Now, first of all, lad, we've got to get all these medieval ideas out of your head," Merlin began as he showed a map to Patrick and Wart before he soon pulled it out of the way, pointing to his globe. "And clear the way for new ideas. Knowledge of man's fabulous discoveries in the centuries ahead. Now that'll be a great advantage, boys."

"Advantage, indeed!" Archimedes scoffed as he flew down and landed on top of the globe. "If the kids go about saying the world is round, they'll take them for a bunch of lunatics."

"The world is round?" Patrick and Wart asked like that was news to them.

"Yes, yes, that's right," Merlin nodded before he spun the globe around. "And it also goes around."

"You mean it'll be round _someday_." Wart said to Merlin.

"Yeah, that's gotta be it." Patrick smiled.

"Nope, the world has _always_ been round." Atticus said.

"And then Colombus invaded innocent people in 1492 and we got a day off from school because of it." Cherry rolled her eyes.

"Cherry." Atticus whispered in a scolding tone.

"It's true," Cherry defended. "At least I didn't say that a woodworm told him that the world was round and then he met an evil Swarm Lord who kept Princess Marilyn of the Moon Sprites hostage in his secret lair which just happened to be in America."

Patrick and Wart looked wide-eyed and even more confused.

"Ignore her." Atticus then said.

"Man will discover this in centuries to come and he will also find that the world is merely a tiny speck in the universe." Merlin then continued as he looked out into the night sky by his telescope.

"The universe?" Patrick and Wart asked out of confusion.

"You're only confusing the boys, before you're through they'll be wearing their shoes on their heads. Man has always learned from the past; after all, you can't history in reverse, why, it's confusing." Archimedes told Merlin who was puffing smoke out of his smoke pipe.

"I'm getting a headache just thinking about that logic." Cherry commented.

"All right! All right! Have it your way, Archimedes," Merlin glared as he was fed up with the owl's behavior. "You're in charge. You're the headmaster now."

"Oh, Merlin, don't be like that." Cherry said softly as Merlin huffed smoke out on Archimedes, making the tiny owl cough a bit.

"So from now on, they're your pupils." Merlin decided as he sat in his chair in the corner.

"Very well so, from now on, boys," Archimedes coughed a bit before he faced Patrick and Wart and coughed out a smoke ring from his beak. "You do as I say."

"Yes, sir." Wart and Patrick smiled.

"Now to start off, I want you both to read these books." Archimedes told Wart and Patrick as he pointed to the stack of books in the room.

"All of them?" Wart asked.

"That, my boys, is a mountain of knowledge." Archimedes told Wart and Patrick.

"So much homework!" Cherry commented. "That's enough for graduation!"

"But I, but I can't read." Wart spoke up.

"I can only read a little." Patrick added.

"What, what? What?" Archimedes glared. "Then I don't suppose you know how to write?"

"No, sir." Patrick and Wart shook their heads.

"What do you know?" Archimedes then asked.

Patrick and Wart were about to answer that.

"Perhaps we should start at the bottom like in Kindergarten," Cherry suggested. "The ABCs, the 123s, and some Do-Rei-Mis."

"You're absolutely right, Cherry; we'll start from the bottom." Archimedes agreed.

* * *

Soon enough, a blackboard was shown with cursive writing of the alphabet.

"My boys, would you kindly write the alphabet on the blackboard, please?" Archimedes asked.

"Yes, sir." Wart and Patrick replied as they would try to write their alphabet.

"Okay," Archimedes instructed as the boys began to write for the first time in their lives. "First the A, and now the B. Loop and around and there's the C."

"Check it out, Merlin!" Patrick smiled. "We can write!"

"Oh. Yes, yes," Merlin replied as he sorted out a box. "That's very good, boys. Very good."

"It's a little sloppy, but cursive is hard the first time around," Cherry advised. "You're doing better than when I first tried though."

"Hen scratch, that's all hen scratch." Archimedes glared at Merlin.

"How's about we get to the next letter?" Patrick suggested to Archimedes.

"D, E, F, and now the G," Archimedes mentored. "Patrick, you're doing very well. "You see, it's as simple as--"

Wart did his best, though he wasn't as good as his friend.

"No, no, no! No, boy! Now, use your head," Archimedes scolded as he stomped on Wart's head. "Use your head, will you? How do you ever expect to learn anything?"

"Hey, now, we're still learning," Patrick glared. "You don't gotta treat Wart like that."

"Archimedes! Have you seen that, uh... Flying machine model?" Merlin soon called to the owl.

"I have nothing to do with your futuristic fiddle-faddle, you know that." Archimedes glared a bit.

"Uh, pardon me, sir, but isn't that it up there?" Cherry asked as she pointed at the model plane above the wizard's head.

"Hmm...? Oh, yes, of course. Here we are." Merlin soon smiled once he looked up and soon took the plane off of its string and held it in his hands.

"You mean man will fly one of those things someday?" Wart and Patrick asked out of curiosity.

"If man were meant to fly, he would have been born with wings." Archimedes said with a harrumph.

Cherry opened her mouth to counter, though she paused thoughtfully before shaking her head.

"I am about to prove otherwise, Archimedes, if you care to watch." Merlin glared at the owl as he began to spin the propeller on his model plane. "Here she goes."

"Uh, Mr. Merlin?" Atticus spoke up.

It was too late, Merlin ran for the window and let the plane took off, though it got twisted in his beard, so it twirled around his beard before it took off. "No, no, no, no, no!" he then panicked.

The plane soon went through the air only to suddenly come crashing down and ended up in the moat down below.

"Man'll fly all right!" Archimedes soon mocked with a laugh. "Just like a rock!"

"It would have worked if it weren't for this infernal beard!" Merlin told the owl as Archimedes kept laughing as the wizard went over back to his chair.

"Okay, Archimedes, we get it; you find the plane crashing funny." Atticus said.

Archimedes let out a deep gasp as he kept on laughing.

"Somehow I think Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed laughed less than that." Cherry whispered to Atticus with a smirk.

"I think you're right." Atticus nodded.

"I never, never in my whole..." Merlin grumbled as he puffed smoke from his pipe. "Man will fly someday, I tell you. I have been there. I have seen it."

"Oh, I do hope so," Wart smiled as he looked out of the window as the birds flew around outside. "I've always dreamed about flying... That I was a bird and that I could go sailing all over the sky-high above everything."

Cherry and Atticus panicked for Wart as they knew that Merlin would try to use magic on him just for saying such a thing.

"I've dreamed the same thing, but I've also been having some strange words showing up in them as well." Patrick said as Merlin began to sneak up behind Wart and Patrick.

"You have?" Archimedes asked.

"Yeah, like this one dream, it went something like, uh, um..." Patrick said as he tried to remember the words. "Oh, that's right, they were..."

"Avis alitus avita atheta. Prestidigitorium." Merlin and Patrick said a spell at the same time without knowing it as Merlin used his the spell on Wart while Patrick did the spell himself.

"Nice," Cherry smirked. "Now they're itty bitty tiny birds~"

Atticus groaned and face-palmed at Cherry's behavior.

"It's my favorite dream," Wart smiled, seeming oblivious of the magic at first. "Oh, but then I suppose everyone dreams about flying."

Cherry brought out a hand mirror to show Wart what just happened.

"I'm a bird! I'm a bird!" Wart gasped and he looked ready to fly away. "I'm a bird!"

"Hold it, boy. Not so fast. Not so fast," Merlin said as he then grabbed Patrick and Wart in his hand. "First, I'd better explain the mechanics of a bird's wing. Now, these large feathers are called the primaries. And, uh--" he then began as he grabbed Archimedes's wing with his free hand to show the wing's feathers.

"And, uh, since when do you know all about birds' wings?" Archimedes glared at him.

"I have made an extensive study of birds in flight." Merlin retorted.

"And if you don't mind, I happen to be a bird." Archimedes glared.

"All right, Mr. Know-It-All, they're your pupils!" Merlin glared back as he slammed down Patrick and Wart on the window sill.

"Ouch!" Patrick and Wart complained.

"That Spring Break you went to see the Monster High girls to Skull Shores?" Atticus said to Cherry. "Me and Mo became birds when we went to visit Rio and we had to help these birds called Blu and Jewel."

"Oh, it's a shame I had to miss that." Cherry replied innocently.

"Now, boys, flying is not some crude mechanical process." Archimedes told Wart and Patrick before clearing his voice over to Merlin.

Merlin simply cleared his throat right back at Archimedes. And just like that, Wart and Patrick were both now two young sparrows.

"It is a delicate art," Archimedes then continued. "Purely aesthetic. Poetry of motion. And the best way to learn it is to do it. Now, since we're pretty far up, we'll start with a glide," he then demonstrated as he spread his wings out for Patrick and Wart to see. "Spread your wings way out, way out."

The boys soon did that and smiled hopefully.

"That's it. That's it," Archimedes nodded as he then fanned out his tail. "Now, fan your tail."

Patrick and Wart then did that next.

"Tippity-toe, tippity-toe, and off we go!" Archimedes then said before dropping out the window with Patrick and Wart following.

Atticus and Cherry leaned over to watch them from up above. And where they saw Wart and Patrick gliding with Archimedes.

"Now tuck your feet under like me." Archimedes told Wart and Patrick.

Patrick and Wart did as they were told as they liked flying like birds so far.

"That's it. That's the idea!" Archimedes approved.

"Whoa! What? Oh!" Patrick and Wart yelped as they nearly fell through the air.

"And don't fight the air currents," Archimedes advised. "Use them." he then suddenly panicked for Patrick and Wart.

The two were about to crash into the meadow before they suddenly picked up the air with their wings in the air and they glided to prevent themselves from crashing.

"Well, say, boys!" Archimedes smiled proudly. "That's pretty good. Well, boys, you're both naturals!"

"Isn't cool, Cherry?" Atticus soon asked before looking over as she didn't answer him right away. "...Cherry?"

"Sorry," Cherry said as she was looking through binoculars. "I'm just making sure there's no predators in the sky this time. It seems like every time Wart becomes an animal, something has to come by to eat him."

"Ooh, smart thinking," Atticus said. "Especially if they encounter a--"

"Hawk!" Cherry panicked.

"Yep, a hawk." Atticus nodded.

"No, I mean there's a hawk!" Cherry told him.

"Huh? Oh, man!" Atticus asked before looking with her binoculars.

* * *

"Are you sure this is the first time that you've--" Archimedes smiled before he looked up to see something right behind them. "Boys! Boys! Hawk! Hawk!"

Patrick and Wart panicked as they flew as fast as they could, even going faster than Archimedes himself.

"Look out, boys!" Archimedes warned. "Heads up! Boys!"

"Archimedes! Help!" Patrick and Wart cried out as they were close to being prey.

Archimedes bit on the predator bird's tailfeathers only to get one feather in his beak, though the hawk was stopped briefly.

"We have to go and help them." Atticus said as he turned himself and Cherry into birds as well.

Cherry looked around before sighing.

"You can do it, just remember the flying lessons that Draculaura and Sibella gave you." Atticus advised.

Cherry nodded and they soon flew after Archimedes, Patrick, and Wart as the hawk chased after them.


	7. Chapter 7

Patrick and Wart soon flew into the dark and spooky woods and landed on top of a chimney from a cottage in the middle of the woods. 

"Whew! I think we lost that hawk." Patrick sighed.

The hawk soon screeched as it went down to try to catch and eat them.

"I was wrong!" Patrick panicked.

The two soon stumbled and fell down in the chimney and ended up being covered in soot in a fireplace inside of the cottage.

"Patrick! Wart!" Cherry called out as she flew with Atticus.

"Wart!" Atticus added.

The hawk soon saw them and came right for them.

"Ow! Get away from me!" Cherry complained before she flew out of the way.

Atticus soon flew right at the hawk as he did still have his incredible strength, even if he was a bird. As the two collided, Atticus soon sent the hawk flying as he hit the flying predator hard with his beak, but not so much to kill it, but to send it flying away scared.

"Phew..." Cherry sighed. "Hopefully that hawk goes away for a while like that predator fish and that wolf."

"This never happened in Rio." Atticus rolled his eyes.

A boy around Patrick and Wart's age with wild dark hair slowly rose up right behind them with a jar and grinned as he carried a bat in his other hand and soon knocked them out, though the bat broke in half. He then grabbed the birds and stuffed them into the jar and sealed it shut. "Oh, boy! Food!" he then smirked before going off into the cottage.

* * *

Patrick and Wart coughed from the soot inside of the fireplace as a wild, purple-haired woman was shown to be playing with cards at her table. "Oh! Sounds like someone's sick. How lovely," she then smirked once she heard the coughing and soon came in front of Patrick and Wart and picked them up by their beaks, looking annoyed now. "Oh, bat gizzards. It's nothing but a couple of scrawny little sparrows with beaks full of soot!"

"We're not really sparrows, we're boys." Wart told her.

"That's right." Patrick agreed.

"Two boys?" The purple-haired woman gasped as she let them go.

"Merlin changed us with his magic," Wart explained as he and Patrick shook the soot off. "He's the world's most powerful wizard."

"Merlin. Ho-ho! Merlin, 'the world's most powerful bungler'," The purple-haired woman laughed in mockery. "Why, boys, I've got more magic in one little finger. Now, don't tell me you've never heard of the marvelous Madam Mim?" she then said to them as she curtsied.

"Well, no, I don't guess so." Patrick shrugged as Wart shook his head.

The young boy soon came into the room with his jar filled with birds and he set them down on the table and began to start up the fireplace to cook the birds with. "Two birds and I didn't even need a stone." he then chuckled at himself.

"Let us out of here!" Cherry yelped.

"Those are our friends!" Patrick told the young boy.

"And I'm hungry," The boy smirked as he looked Cherry and Atticus dead in the eye from inside their jar. "Talking birds or no talking birds."

"Now, now, now, Drell, don't be rude," Madam Mim told her apprentice. "How do you expect to become Head of the Council with that behavior?"

"Drell?" Atticus's eyes widened.

Cherry soon passed out suddenly with wide eyes and an anime soul left her body from the shock. Atticus soon picked up Cherry before charging at the glass jar breaking out, thanks to his god strength as he soon flew over to Wart and Patrick as he carried Cherry with his feet.

"Incredible." Madam Mim said from what she and Drell saw.

Drell looked wide-eyed before glaring. "No one's s'posed to be stronger than me!" he then huffed.

Cherry soon woke up as she sat up and shook her head. "Who the heck are you?" she then asked the purple-haired woman.

"Allow me to introduce myself," Madam Mim smirked. "You should know who I am."

"Madam Mim? Oh!" Archimedes panicked as he appeared at the door and he quickly flew away once he saw the witch woman. "Good heavens, good heavens, good heavens!"

"Should we?" Cherry asked.

"This is Madam Mim." Drell told them.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious." Cherry rolled her eyes.

"That's not my name..." Drell roughly retorted and crossed his arms. "Weirdo."

"With only a touch, I have the power, Zim zaba rim bim, To wither a flower, I find delight in the gruesome and grim~" Madam Mim sang as she sent magic to a potted flower which soon died instantly from her magic.

"Oh, that's terrible." Wart said.

"Thank you, my boy, but that's nothing, nothing for me!" Madam Mim replied as she continued. "'Cuz I'm the magnificent, marvelous, mad Madam Mim~" she then spoke to them again. "You know what? I can even change size."

The kids looked a bit wide-eyed as the witch suddenly grew very big and large, touching the ceiling of her cottage.

"I can be huge; Fill the whole house~," Madam Mim sang before she soon shrunk in size and stood on the table with them. "I can be teeny, small as a mouse, Black sorcery is my dish of tea, It comes easy to me, 'Cuz I'm the magnificent, marvelous, mad Madam Mim!~"

"You're marvelously something alright." Cherry snarked to herself.

Madam Mim began to fly around her cottage while the size of a mouse before landing going back to her normal size. "Say, kids, did you know that I can make myself uglier yet?" The witch woman asked the kids.

"Oh, you mean _this_ isn't you in your most ugliest face yet?" Cherry snarked.

Drell soon went to slam his fist down on top of Cherry before Atticus zipped over and held the young warlock's fist, though he got flattened by it due to his small size before Drell then retracted his hand and waved it as it throbbed in pain.

"He may have squashed me, but I'm still strong." Atticus glared, though something was changing without him or Cherry noticing or realizing it yet.

"Well, that would be some trick," Wart spoke up nervously. "Er, um, ah, I mean, uh--"

"Wanna bet?" Madam Mim smirked before she moved her hair to show a long, ugly snout, looking like a pig monster. "Boo!"

The kids looked a bit startled

"You see? I win, I win!" Madam Mim beamed. "Aren't I hideous, kids? Perfectly revolting?"

"Well, uh, yes, ma'am." The kids replied without hesitation.

"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet; watch this." Madam Mim said as she pressed on her pig nose. And where this caused her to go from ugly to a beautiful woman.

"That's a great improvement." Cherry smirked.

"I can be beautiful, lovely and fair, Silvery voice, long purple hair~," Madam Mim sang as she bounced her hair about before scratching Patrick and Wart's chins playfully which felt very nice. "La la la la, la la la la la, La la la la la, la la la la la la la~"

"That's good, ma'am; just leave it there." Drell grinned at his magical mentor.

"But it's only skin-deep Zim zabberim zim!~" Madam Mim sang as she pulled her hair turning back into her true self. "I'm an ugly old creep, I'm the magnificent, marvelous, mad, mad, mad, Mad Madam Mim~"

"Bravo. Bravo." Drell applauded for his mentor.

"So, uh, you two close?" Atticus asked Drell.

"My parents sent me to train with her so I can fulfill my destiny," Drell grinned proudly. "I'm gonna be Head of the Witch's Council someday, and I need to learn the best feats and magic if I'm going to become the most powerful man in the universe. Ladies? I'm single~" he then winked.

Cherry shuddered in disgust from that.

"Now what do you think, kids?" Madam Mim smirked. "Who's the greatest?"

"Madam Mim!" Drell cheered.

"Well, uh, Merlin's magic is always, um, well, useful, uh, for something good." Wart said nervously.

"Yeah, even though his spell to clean the dishes and clean the kitchen, went a little chaotic." Patrick said.

"And I suppose he sees something good in the four of you too?" Madam Mim said as she walked past them.

"I suppose so." Cherry shrugged.

"Yes, and in my book, that's bad!" Madam Mim replied as she shut her window shutters. "So, my children, I'm afraid I'll have to destroy you."

"De-Destroy us?" Atticus, Cherry, Patrick, and Wart asked nervously.

"Yeah, I'll give you a sporting chance," Madam Mim replied as she soon turned into a cat. "I'm mad about games, you know."

"I wouldn't fight her if I were you," Drell told the others. "You better take it unless you wanna play with ME instead." he then added with a sadistic grin on his face.

"Guys, we better fly before she can pounce and stay in the air; that way, she can't get us." Atticus suggested.

"Couldn't agree more." Cherry, Patrick, and Wart said.

All four of them soon flew up into the air as Madam Mim pounced, missing them.

"Get 'em! Get 'em!" Drell called out to his mentor.

Madam Mim laughed as they flew around and she kept on pouncing after them, nearly making her cottage a mess as she knocked down the table and her shelves. "Yeah, well, come on, get going, kids," she then mocked. "You gotta keep on your toes in this game."

Patrick, Atticus, and Wart flew out of the way, only for Cherry to be grabbed.

"Yaugh!" Cherry yelped as she was caught in Madam Mim's paw before she went flying into the dartboard, hitting the bulls-eye in the process.

"I win, I win!" Madam Mim grinned as she grabbed Cherry in her paws. "Oh, the game's over."

Cherry glared and pecked the old witch in her nose, making her change herself back to normal.

"Why, you little devil, you!" Madam Mim glared. "I'll wring your scrawny little neck!"

"Just try it, you old hag!" Cherry glared back.

"Let her go!" Atticus glared before using his magic and changed back to human as he landed on his feet.

"Impressive." Drell smirked.

"YOW!" Madam Mim yelped as she threw her hands in the air, dropping Cherry.

Cherry panicked as she fell through the air before flapping her wings and soon landed on a high shelf and glared down at Madam Mim while she was up there. The door soon opened as a magical presence came into the cottage.

"Mim! Mim! Wh-Wh-What--" Merlin glared as he soon came in the room before looking around the cottage. "Eh, what were you up to?"

"Oh, M-M-Merlin!" Madam Mim grinned innocently. "Well, you're just in time. The kids and I were playing a little game."

"She was going to destroy me, Cherry, Patrick, and Wart!" Atticus told Merlin.

The other three quickly agreed as it was true.

"You witch." Merlin glared at Madam Mim.

"And just what are you going to do about it?" Madam Mim glared back. "Wanna fight? Wanna have a wizard's duel?"

"As you wish, madam." Merlin decided firmly.

"It's Twilight and Trixie." Cherry whispered to Atticus as she flew down and perched on his shoulder.

"Only hopefully the loser doesn't have to leave town forever, but if they do, I hope it's Madam Mim." Atticus whispered back.

"In your dreams, monkeys!" Drell smirked as he came up beside them, startling them a bit. "Madam Mim is the best witch in the world! ...Next to maybe my mom cuz I get to become a powerful leader someday when I'm all grown up."

"Oh, you're about to learn that knowledge is power." Atticus said.

"Well, come on, step outside." Madam Mim told Merlin.

"After you, madam." Merlin replied.

"This should be good..." Atticus said. "Now then, Cherry, are you tired of being a bird?"

"Please change me back," Cherry groaned. "Animal transformations are so embarrassing."

Atticus nodded as he soon changed her back to normal, though they fell on top of each other in the middle of the floor.

"Drell, get over here and help me show this old fool how it's done!" Madam Mim called to her student.

"You two are sad..." Drell shook his head before smiling and following after Madam Mim. "Coming!~"

"Okay, is it just me or am I starting to wonder if we should have asked what we are looking for without altering the past to save the future?" Atticus said as he and Cherry got up.

Merlin soon followed after Madam Mim and Drell as the others soon followed.

* * *

"I think we just have to make sure your parents love each other enough to get married," Cherry said to Atticus. "I've seen this in movies."

"Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What's up, kids?" Archimedes asked as he flew out onto the tree beside Patrick and Wart. "What's going on here?"

"They're havin' a wizard's duel," Wart replied. "What's that mean?"

"Oh, it's a battle of wits," Archimedes explained. "The players change themselves to different things and, and attempt to, uh, to destroy one another."

"De-Des-De-Destroy?" Patrick and Wart got wide-eyed and nervous.

"Well, just watch, kids, just watch," Archimedes replied. "You'll get the idea."

Madam Mim soon stopped walking before facing Merlin as she faced his beard.

"Well, that's a little too close in someone's personal space." Cherry smirked.

"Now, first of all," Madam Mim faced Merlin before muffling since his beard was in her face, so she moved it aside. "So you don't mind, I'll make the rules."

"Rules indeed!" Archimedes scoffed. "Why, she only wants rules so she can break 'em!"

"I'll take care of you later, Featherbrain," Madam Mim glared before she made the rules. "Now, rule #1: no mineral or vegetable. Only animal. Rule #2: no make-believe things, like, uh, oh, pink dragons and stuff. Now, rule #3: no disappearing."

"Rule #4: no cheating." Merlin then firmly decided.

"All right, all right," Madam Mim replied as she then stood with her back to his before they split up. "Now, pace off ten. 1, 2, 3, 4..." she then started to count.

"1 and three quarters... 5 1/2... TEN!" Cherry called in a Bugs Bunny tone of voice.

"Silence that child!" Madam Mim glowered.

"You better be quiet." Drell told Cherry.

"Alright. Alright." Cherry rolled her eyes.

Merlin and Madam Mim continued to pace together until something new happened.

"Merlin! She disappeared!" Patrick warned the wizard.

"Huh? MIM!" Merlin asked before looking around sharply. "Now, blast it all you made the rules!"

Madam Mim soon appeared right behind him as a crocodile and soon got ready to slam her jaws down on him. Merlin then quickly vanished and she bit down on his hat, though something was inside the hat now.

Madam Mim soon opened the hat and reached inside before something bit her finger. "Ouch!"

It was shown to be Merlin was a snapping turtle before he then fell on the ground after biting her.

"A snapping turtle?! Why not a dinosaur?!" Cherry asked. "Seriously, out of all the animals in the world, he goes with a turtle."

"Even I find that as a poor choice." Drell smirked.

"Yeah? See? I agree with Drell!" Cherry replied before her eyes widened as she cupped her mouth and she went over behind a tree and suddenly threw up.

Atticus rolled his eyes as he knew that would happen.

"Change to somethin' else, Merlin." Patrick suggested as he and Wart flew over to a higher tree.

"Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes, give me time to think," Merlin replied as he crawled away from Madam Mim who came after him. "Ah, higgety-piggety. Ah, duh... No, no, no, no, no."

"Quick, Merlin, hurry!" Wart panicked.

"Ah... Duh... Hoppity-hip-hip!" Merlin called out and he soon turned into a rabbit. "Ha-ha!"

"A BUNNY?!" Cherry asked. " _This_ is supposed to be the world's greatest wizard we learned about in The History of Warlocks?! This is something Justin Russo would do!"

Madam Mim soon chomped down on Merlin's bunny tail and where that was the only part that stayed in her mouth as Merlin looked to see his tail in her mouth.

"Madam, just a minute." Merlin glared as he began to try and get his tail out of Madam Mim's mouth.

Madam Mim giggled and soon turned herself into a fox and pulled on Merlin's cottontail with him.

"Turn into a dinosaur!" Cherry called out. "That's not a mythical creature and I should know!"

Merlin soon ran from Madam Mim before they both ended up in a tree trunk together.

"Ugh! He's not listening to me!" Cherry complained.

Madam Mim began to start laughing as she thought she had Merlin cornered until her laughter stopped. Merlin was seen coming out of a hole in the tree trunk as a caterpillar.

"Wow." Drell smirked.

"MERLIN!" Cherry complained.

Merlin shushed her as he slunk along the tree trunk, getting away from Madam Mim.

"Merlin! No disappearing~" Madam Mim's voice called.

Merlin soon got to a branch before Madam Mim's eye popped out from the hole and she soon turned into a chicken and came to bite on him since she was a bird and he was bird food.

"Look out!" Patrick cried for Merlin.

Madam Mim soon bit on the branch with Merlin's caterpillar tail, sending the old wizard flying in the air and was about to come right down and she opened up her beak, ready to eat him. Merlin saw this coming and soon turned into a walrus and landed right on top of her.

"Phew..." Patrick sighed in relief. "That was a real close one."

"Mim? Mim? Are you--" Merlin started until he felt himself going up as Madam Mim changed into an elephant. "What's going on?"

"Ooh, she's mad now." Drell smirked.

"This can only end so well." Cherry groaned.

"We should've made this into a money bet..." Drell grinned as he put his hands together. "You little suckers should SERVE ME!"

Cherry shoved him back, but only slightly.

"You, you... You big blimp!" Madam Mim glared as she grabbed Merlin by his neck with her trunk.

Merlin then changed himself into a mouse and made faces at her which scared Madam Mim since it was often said that for whatever reason, elephants were afraid of mice. Atticus and Cherry knew that all too well especially since their adventure with Dumbo. Merlin began to chase after Madam Mim before he began to run for his life as Madam Mim changed into a tiger. Merlin soon jumped into a hole and where Madam Mim jumped and landed hard on the hole until Merlin came out of another hole and was about to bite down on Madam Mim's tail. Atticus, Cherry, Patrick, and Wart were in mild suspense for Merlin against Madam Mim. Drell just watched Madam Mim, hoping she would win and he grinned in excitement for her.

"Ah, ah, ah, ah, Merlin!" Madam Mim smirked as she wagged her tail, showing it was a rattlesnake tail as she had changed herself into a snake.

Merlin panicked before he then made her bite her own tail and he kept on running.

"Ouch! Ooh!" Madam Mim glared as she got caught in knots and the wizard mouse ran off.

"Bravo!" Archimedes approved as he watched with the kids.

"Come on, Merlin, outwit her." Cherry whispered to herself.

"Oh, just you wait!" Madam Mim glared as she sunk in a hole and chased Merlin through it until he came out of a different hole. "Just you wait! You're going to pay!"

Merlin so pushed a big rock to the hole he just came out of and where that's when Madam Mim's head hit the rock.

"Ouch. That had to hurt." Cherry smirked with a wince.

"Get up! Get up!" Drell called out to Madam Mim.

Merlin panicked as he knew that Madam Mim would be back, so he changed himself into a crab. Madam Mim came back up and went right back down before he could pinch her with his claws. The two went back and forth for a while until Merlin finally pinched her, but the claws didn't hurt her before she soon rose out of the ground and grinned darkly as she was now a rhinoceros.

"Ooh! That's a good one!" Drell hooted with laughter.

"Oh, that's not good." Patrick gulped.

"He sure has been getting lucky and then unlucky." Cherry said.

"So you want to play rough, do ya?" Madam Mim glared as she then went to charge over to a tree that was over the edge of a cliff. "All right, Merlin. I'll smash you good, you old crab!"

"I can't watch," Drell said, covering his eyes before grinning. "Who am I kidding? Yes, I can! She's gonna make a crabcake out of that salty old codger!"

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." Atticus replied.

"Jehosaphat!" Merlin exclaimed as he crawled up on Madam Mim's horn and jumped out of the way.

Madam Mim soon screamed once she got stuck in the tree. "Drell boy, get the butter and get me out of this tree or you're grounded!" she then threatened and screamed.

"Oh, don't worry about that, Drell; I think Merlin has that covered." Atticus smirked.

"What do you mean by that?" Drell asked him.

"You'll see." Atticus smirked.

Merlin soon got off and began to turn himself into a goat. "Here I come, Mim, ready or not!" he then called out as he soon went charging towards her to headbutt her.

"Merlin, you wouldn't dare!" Madam Mim cried out.

But he would and did, Merlin then headbutted against Madam Mim, making her scream and end up in the boiling water below the cliff. Cherry and Atticus smirked at each other, sharing fist bumps, though Drell panicked and went to run and hide as he knew what was coming.

"Hey! Where ya going?" Cherry called out with a smirk.

"The heck out of here and if you're smart, you'll do the same!" Drell replied. "Mim's **BEYOND ANGRY RIGHT NOW!** "

"What do you mean?" Cherry asked.

Something soon happened as Madam Mim came out of the water as a purple dragon.

"Oh, so she wasn't out of this wizard duel just yet." Cherry said.

"Well, she didn't turn into a pink dragon, so technically she isn't breaking one of her rules," Atticus said before telling Merlin. "I suggest you run!"

"Now, now, Mim, Mim!" Merlin panicked at the purple dragon. "N-No dragons, remember?"

"Did I say no flame breathing purple dragons?" Madam Min grinned darkly before she breathed fire around him. " _DID_ I?!"

"RUN FOR IT, OLD MAN!" Drell soon yelled out from his hiding spot.

Merlin soon ran from the flames as Madam Mim chased him, breathing fire everywhere until he turned into a mouse and hid inside of a hole.

"Don't burn me... Don't burn me... Don't burn me..." Drell shivered nervously from behind a large boulder.

"I wish I had my phone right now." Cherry smirked at his fear.

Madam Mim soon smirked as she took a deep breath and blow fire into the hole Merlin just hid inside of and where it shot him out of another hole as he shouted out in pain from the fire.

"We gotta stop her!" Atticus glared as he jumped out.

"I-I-I'm not sure if that's wise." Cherry warned.

"Trust me, it really isn't!" Drell added from his hiding place.

Madam Mim soon caught Merlin in her dragon claws. "I win!" The witch smirked as she laughed.

Atticus gasped and glared, about to go towards Madam Mim only for Drell to pounce out and tackle the young Wiccan down to the ground. "Ow! What is going on?!" he then complained.

"Oh, that horrible old witch!" Wart glared as he was about to fly towards Madam Mim. "I'll... I'll peck her eyes out!"

"Huh, no, no," Archimedes shook his head as he grabbed Wart and restrained the young sparrow. "No, no, no."

Madam Mim soon opened up her dragon claws to see Merlin only to see that he was no longer in her claws.

"He's gone." Patrick gasped.

"Well, shoot." Cherry remarked.

"Disappeared." Archimedes frowned.

Madam Mim looked around for Merlin as Drell came over to her as he tried to help her look.

"Madam, I have not disappeared. I am very tiny," Merlin's voice said. "I'm a germ. A rare disease. I'm called 'malagolintomontorosis' and you've caught me, Mim!" he then announced with a laugh.

"What?!" Madam Mim asked out of shock.

Archimedes laughed as this meant Merlin had won.

"Did Merlin win?" Cherry asked as Drell magicked himself up a hat to purposely stomp it on the ground and jump on it in frustration.

"A stroke of genius!" Patrick smiled.

"First, you break out into spots," Merlin began to explain as red spots appeared on Madam Mim's body as she turned into a sickly green color. "Followed by hot and cold flashes," he then added as she suddenly sweated before shivering. "Then violent sneezing." he then concluded.

Madam Mim sniffled and she then suddenly sneezed out a bunch of fire, making Atticus and Cherry jump out of the way and the flames came toward the tree that Archimedes, Patrick, and Wart were on.

"Watch it, boys!" Archimedes warned and they luckily missed the flames.

"Oh! Er... Y-Y-Y-You sneaky old scoundrel!" Madam Mim glared as she was defeated.

* * *

Later on, Madam Mim was still sick but she was back to her old self and in bed. Drell soon put a thermometer into her mouth with a nervous smile.

"Oh, it's not too serious, madam," Merlin soon said as he decided to check the thermometer. "Ah, you should recover in a few weeks and be as good, uh, Ah, heh-heh, I-I mean as _bad_ as ever."

Archimedes, Patrick, and Wart began to chuckle.

"But, ah, I would suggest plenty of rest and lots and lots of sunshine!" Merlin then said as he punched his cane in through the straw roof to let in some sunlight.

Cherry and Atticus chuckled a bit.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," Drell glared at them. "While you're gone, I gotta take care of her."

"Why didn't your parents have you become Merlin's apprentice?" Patrick asked.

"Because my mom and Madam Mim are old friends and she wants me to learn the best and darkest magic so I can someday become Head of the Magic Council when I grow up and strike fear into the hearts and crush their souls like little punks like you!" Drell smirked as he crossed his arms. "She's gonna teach me how to have the universe's best magic and people will PUKE at the mention of my name!"

"Well, he's right about that last part." Cherry whispered to Atticus with a smirk.

"But what about good magic?" Atticus asked.

"Yeah, as you've seen good magic is just as powerful as the magic you are learning." Patrick told Drell.

"Pfft!" Drell scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Good magic gets you nowhere!"

"But it might be nice," Cherry said. "Isn't your job supposed to be about helping people and making sure they follow the rules?"

"You guys don't know anything," Drell replied as he went over to his room in the cottage which was very messy and disorganized before he sat on his bed as it creaked under his weight. "I'm gonna go down in history someday and learning magic from that fool Merlin isn't gonna do it. What good is there in having power if you can't have a little fun with it?"

"You can't be serious." Archimedes said, unimpressed.

"See? I knew you wouldn't understand," Drell replied as he got comfortable and put his hands behind his head. "Now if you'll excuse me, this future Head Warlock is gonna take a little power nap before Mean Old Mim wakes up and makes me scrub her feet or some stuff like that."

"So you'd just stay here alone with just your mentor?" Patrick asked softly.

"Yeah, but so what? It's not like I need any friends." Drell said.

"Friends are a wonderful thing, Drell," Patrick frowned. "I know I don't know you well, but I'd like to be your friend if you'd let me."

Drell snorted and rolled his eyes. "And why would I be friends with someone like you?" he then scoffed. "Are you even a warlock?"

"Well, no, I'm a Wiccan, but--" Patrick began.

"Ha! So you have weaker magic than I do!" Drell smirked.

"Well, maybe, but I don't have a lot of friends myself either," Patrick defended. "My sister has a lot of friends of her own, but I don't really have anyone to hang out with except for Wart. You just seem like you could use a friend."

"Friendship is magic." Cherry and Atticus added, Cherry a bit sardonic, but Atticus sweetly sincere.

Drell simply scoffed as he looked away. Patrick smiled as he was sure he and Drell would become friends in the future.

"So should we get going?" Cherry asked Merlin.

"Go on and get out of here before I turn you into piles of stone." Drell snorted as he turned over in his bed.

"He never did grow up." Cherry rolled her eyes.

"I hate sunshine!" Madam Mim screeched as Merlin soon led the kids out the cottage door. "I hate horrible, wholesome sunshine!

I hate it, I hate it! I hate, hate, hate, hate--"

"And you think I'm gloomy." Cherry smirked at Atticus.

"I guess you're not as much of a drama queen." Atticus smirked back.

The door soon shut behind them.

* * *

"You were really great, Merlin, b-but you could've been killed." Wart said to the wizard.

"It was worth it if you and Patrick learned a lesson, lad." Merlin told Wart.

'After what they've seen I am positive they did.' Atticus thought to himself.

Wart paused to think about it before answering the wizard. "Knowledge and wisdom is the real power." he then said.

"Right you are, Wart, so stick to your schooling, boy." Merlin nodded.

"Oh, don't worry, I will, sir," Wart reassured. "I will, oh, I really will."

"I will too." Patrick promised.

"And young lady, I hope you learned that you don't need to be big and powerful just to take someone down," Merlin said to Cherry. "I appreciate your dinosaur idea, but I still beat Madam Mim, didn't I?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess you did..." Cherry shrugged.

Drell watched the group leave from his bedroom window before sighing and shrugging as he began to feel bored all on his own, especially since Madam Mim would be stuck in bed for a while and he'd have to take care of her.

"And Patrick, you should know I had only turned Wart into a bird; you actually had turned yourself into a bird on your own with your own magic." Merlin told him.

"Wait, what?" Patrick asked.

"It'll come to you eventually." Merlin said.

"So, I'm a wizard?" Patrick asked.

"Actually, you seem to have Wiccan blood in you," Merlin advised. "Unlike that Sarah Ravencroft who plans on using her magic for evil, especially when she'll be reborn centuries later in the town of Oakhaven."

"Whoa! So I'll change back if I say... Alakazam!" Patrick proclaimed and within a matter of seconds, the young Wiccan changed back to human.

"That's one of the ways, yes," Merlin nodded. "You have a great legacy ahead of you, Patrick."

"So I guess my sister's a Wiccan too?" Patrick asked.

"But of course," Merlin replied. "Delilah's probably discovering her magical side with the Gummi Bears right now."

"Wow." Patrick smiled.

"And I think I see her and the Gummi Bears right now." Wart said as he saw a group making their way through the forest.

Atticus and Cherry shared a look before they looked around into the forest.

* * *

A redheaded girl smiled as she stepped out and stretched.

"How do you feel?" A voice asked the girl.

"Great," Delilah smiled. "I always knew my brother and I were destined for something special and I guess you helped me see what it was..." she then waved her hands as magic sparkled in her fingertips. "This must be what it's like to be the Spellman family."

"Magic can be a wonderful thing, but remember to use it responsibly." Another voice said from a second Gummi Bear.

"Those are the Gummi Bears?" Cherry asked Merlin.

"Yes, they are," Merlin replied. "I understand you've compared them to the Care Bears."

"Well, can ya blame me?" Cherry shrugged as she saw colorful bears with the redheaded girl who appeared to be friends with her. "They're a bunch of colorful bears."

"I know of the Care Bears in your time myself," Merlin nodded. "In fact, The Gummi Bears are the ancestors of the Care Bears before they discovered Care-A-Lot and their Cousins in The Forest of Feelings." he then explained.

"They sure are a colorful bunch." Patrick said.

"Indeed they are." Merlin nodded.

"Quite literally." Cherry said.

"Perhaps you'd like to go see your sister and her friends." Merlin said to Patrick.

"Yeah!" Patrick beamed as he ran through the bushes. "Del! Del!"

Delilah looked over before the two siblings fell on top of each other by accident, though they laughed. "Hi, Patrick," she then said. "Fancy seeing you here since you've been so busy with Wart and helping him with Sir Ector and that miserable goofball, Kay."

"Wart and I are learning from Merlin." Patrick smiled.

"Who's Merlin?" Delilah asked.

"He's a powerful wizard." Patrick smiled.

"Could I meet him?" Delilah asked.

"Sure," Patrick smiled. "Right after you introduce me to your friends."

Delilah giggled. "Okay, fair is fair," She then said. "Come on out, guys!"

The colorful bears peeked out of their hiding spot and came to go and see Delilah.

"Everyone, this is my brother, Patrick." Delilah introduced.

"Hello." Patrick smiled and waved at the Gummi Bears.

"Hello!" The Gummi Bears greeted him.

"This is Zummi Gummi, Gruffi Gummi, Grammi Gummi, Tummi Gummi, Sunni Gummi, and Cubbi Gummi." Delilah introduced the bears with her who nodded and waved after their names were said.

"Are you hungry, dear?" Grammi asked Patrick as she poked her paw against his stomach. "You look like you're all skin and bones."

"Sometimes it's hard to get food whenever I'm with Wart at Sir Ector's place." Patrick said softly.

"Well, I suggest you come with me and I can give you a meal fit for a king!" Grammi suggested.

"Wow, thanks," Patrick smiled before feeling throat getting a little dry. "I could go for something to drink though."

"Try this." Cubbi Gummi said as he gives Patrick a flask filled with something familiar to the Gummi Bears.

"Huh? Oh, thanks," Patrick smiled. "...Is this the juice?"

"Yes, it's very good." Cubbi nodded.

"Thanks, Cubbi!" Patrick smiled as he opened up the flask and began to drink down the juice to quench his thirst.

"Cubbi, that's Gummi Berry juice! That gives humans incredible strength! Don't you remember?!" Gruffi asked out of shock.

"Oops. I guess I kinda forgot." Cubbi smiled sheepishly.

"Wait, how does that work?" Cherry asked. "Atticus gave his dad special strength later in life a long time after we had met Hercules and Zeus."

"You see, lass, Gummi Berry juice gives humans incredible strength, but not very long," Merlin told her. "The effects are different for Gummi Bears as they become rather bouncy."

"Ohh..." Cherry said.

"Either way, it's still pretty good," Patrick smiled. "Thanks, Cubbi."

"Heh, you're welcome." Cubbi smiled back, bashfully.

Patrick soon felt powerful as he now had super-strength.

"You'll only have your super-strength for a little while." Merlin told Patrick.

"Dang it," Patrick sighed. "At least I can be strong for a while, right?"

"Yes, you may," Merlin replied. "No worries though, someone very special to you will give you special strength permanently."

"Really?" Patrick smiled. "Who?"

"We don't wanna spoil the surprise." Atticus smiled innocently.

"You're an interesting guy, Atticus," Patrick rolled his eyes playfully. "I hope after all of this is over, I'll see you again."

"Oh, don't worry; you will sometime in the future." Atticus assured him.

"Well, that's good." Patrick smiled.

"Shouldn't we get back to the castle before Ector gets angry as he doesn't find Patrick or Wart because he'll most likely have a chore for them to do?" Cherry advised.

"Del, I gotta go," Patrick said to his sister. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Of course, Patrick," Delilah smiled. "I know how sore Sir Ector can get."

The siblings then shared a fond hug with each other as Atticus looked emotional as his father and aunt shared a warm and tender hug.

"Don't ever disappear from me, okay?" Patrick smiled sadly.

"Patrick, you're never gonna lose me." Delilah promised.

* * *

Luckily, they made it back before Ector could get angry, though he was still frustrated.

"Like we expected anything else?" Cherry rolled her eyes at how Ector got. "I take back everything I said about Drell being an angry pig all the time."

"Yeah, this guy takes the cake on that." Atticus said.


	8. Chapter 8

Before they knew it, it was snowing and seemed to be around Christmastime.

"Christmas comes faster and faster every year." Cherry commented.

Atticus nodded in agreement.

"We pledge our loyalty forever, The white stands for right purity and might, The blue stands for truth yea verily, forsooth, So we'll drink a toast to the banner we love most, May it proudly wave on high~," Ector and Pellinore began to sing as they had a victory song in honor of Kay who sat proudly at the table. "We will sing all night and all day we will fight, For the blue oak tree on the field of white, For the blue oak tree, on the fie-ie-ie-ie-ield, Of white~" The men then shared boisterous laughter together as they had a drink and a toast to honor the older boy.

Cherry flinched from the loud laughter and glared as she helped the boys clean up.

"Here's to victory in London for my son Kay!" Ector smiled.

" _Sir_ Kay; I've been knighted, don't forget." Kay smirked.

Cherry just rolled her eyes.

"The ladies love a knight, don't they?" Kay smirked towards Cherry.

"Get the Plague." Cherry scoffed.

"No, of course, son, of course!" Ector chuckled as he raised his glass with Pelinore. "Ah, here's to Sir Kay. And who knows? The future king of all England!"

The two then clinked their glasses, though Pellinore's glass shattered and some of the drink spilled out on top of Kay's head.

"Kay as the king? What a dreadful thought." Pellinore shuttered.

"Took the words right out of my mouth." Cherry smirked.

"Sir Ector! Sir Ector!" The kitchen maid called as she ran inside the room in a panic. "Hobbs has come down with the mumps! His face is a-a-all puffed up like a toad!"

"Then Kay'll need another squire, hang it all," Ector grumbled before thinking about it and then pointed sharply at the blonde boy. "Hmm... Wart, you're it."

"I'm what, sir?" Wart asked as he moved the dishes off of the table.

"Kay's squire," Ector explained. "You're going to London, boy."

"I don't think Merlin's gonna be happy to hear that." Patrick whispered to himself.

"Oh, Sir Ector... Wait, wha... What! Whoa!" Wart yelped as he tripped his way out of the room.

Patrick gasped as he dove down to help protect Wart from hurting himself and caught the falling dishes, carrying them all and was stronger than he was before.

"Phew! Thanks, Patrick," Wart sighed in relief. "Whoa, you really did change after seeing your sister."

"Well, I felt motivated enough to work out a bit more." Patrick smiled sheepishly.

* * *

A while later, Wart was soon wearing a traditional robe that every squire wore as he, Patrick, Atticus, and Cherry made their way to Merlin and Archimedes.

"Merlin! Archimedes! Merlin!" Wart called out as he raced up the tower, a bit faster than his friends before he opened up the door. "Merlin, look! I'm a squire!"

Merlin looked over and looked a bit wide-eyed as he warmed up by the heater. "Hah! Sir Ector changed his mind, eh?" he then asked the boy.

"Yes, because Hobbs came down with illness, so he said I could take his place!" Wart explained in excitement.

"Oh. Uh, very nice, boy." Archimedes said softly.

"Yes, indeed," Merlin nodded firmly. "A fine monkey suit for polishing boots."

"Well, he took that well." Cherry deadpanned.

"But it's Wart's choice; Merlin, shouldn't you try and support him?" Patrick asked the old wizard.

"Besides, it's what all squires wear." Wart said.

"And I thought you were going to amount to something!" Merlin glared sharply at Wart as he kicked over a stack of books along with his globe. "I thought you had a few brains! Great future. Hah! A stooge for that big lunk Kay. Congratulations, boy!" he then scoffed with bitterness and sarcasm.

"Look, I don't like Kay any more than the next kid, but you could at least be supportive!" Cherry glared with her hands on her hips.

"Yeah! You could at least try to be supportive instead of acting bitter and sarcastic over what Wart's going to be doing in London!" Atticus glared at Merlin.

"What do y--... What do you want me to be?" Wart glared as tears started to come out of his eyes. "I'm nobody."

Archimedes began to look a little wide-eyed and concerned.

"You... You don't know a thing about what's goin' on today!" Wart continued firmly. "I-I-I-I'm lucky to be Kay's squire."

"D... Oh! D... Of all the idiotic... Y-Y-Y... I..." Merlin stammered as he felt flustered before he shouted. " **BLOW ME TO BERMUDA!** " he then snapped before his magic surrounded him and he took off, shooting like a rocket right out of the tower.

They soon went to the window to see Merlin continuing to shoot like a rocket far away.

"Where did he go?" Wart asked Archimedes.

"To Bermuda I suppose." Archimedes shrugged.

"Where's that?" Patrick asked.

"In the middle of nowhere where you go and never return." Cherry said in a haunting voice.

"Yes, but right now, it's an island way off somewhere that hasn't been discovered yet." Archimedes told Cherry.

"But still." Cherry retorted.

"Will he ever come back?" Wart asked softly out of guilt.

"Who knows?" Archimedes shrugged. "Who knows anything?"

"Well, we better get some sleep." Patrick said softly.

"Yeah, gonna need it for that trip to London." Archimedes said.

"Sorry about Merlin." Atticus said.

"It's okay, Atticus." Patrick replied.

"Ah, let him go!" Cherry rolled her eyes. "I don't see what's so great about that old geezer anyway!"

"How can you say that?!" Patrick glared.

"He doesn't wanna deal with us, then I don't wanna deal with him!" Cherry glared back.

"Just give him some time; he'll cool off and he'll be back before we know it." Atticus said.

"You're quite sure about that?" Archimedes asked.

"Well, yeah." Atticus smiled.

"Well, boy, I do hope that you are right." Archimedes nodded.

"I know I am." Atticus nodded back.

"At least we haven't seen Madam Mim again." Cherry narrowed her eyes.

"That's true." Archimedes nodded.

* * *

Before long, London was shown in the morning as the tournament began.

"For the crown of all England... Let the tournament begin!" An announcer proclaimed.

Two men in armor with lances and on their horses soon began to charge together. Many of the girls in the crowd swooned over the knights in shining armor.

Cherry yawned and looked exhausted and bored already. "I never understood why girls go gaga over knights in shining armor," she then rolled her eyes as she flopped her arms out over the stand she sat behind. "You'll never see me doing that nonsense."

Both knights continued to charge at each other until their lances collided with the other's body, sending them both flying off their horses before they got up and got their swords out. Cherry yawned while she watched the action in the stands with the other people.

"Oh, Kay, do you see that?" Ector beamed at his son as the knights soon fought with the swords next. "Now it's up to the swords."

"Swords?" Wart asked nervously. "Swords?"

Patrick gulped slightly. "I knew we were forgetting something." he then said to his pal.

"Oh, no! Kay?" Wart spoke up nervously.

"What? What?" Kay glowered at the blonde boy.

"I, eh, I-I-I forgot your sword." Wart explained.

"Forgot my sword?" Kay snapped.

"I-I-I left it back at the inn." Wart explained.

"Why, you bungling little fool!" Kay growled as he went to chase after Wart.

"Hey, cut it out, Kay!" Patrick complained as he stood in front of Wart to protect him.

"We'll just go right now and get your sword; no harm, no foul." Atticus told Kay.

"Yeah, besides, we have some time until you have to go on." Cherry said.

"You can stay and be my li'l cheerleader if you want~" Kay grinned at her.

"Okay... Close your eyes, hold out your hands, and you'll get a big surprise." Cherry smirked.

Kay chuckled at himself before he did what she asked, looking hopeful and eager.

Cherry soon took out a random fish and soon slapped him in the face with it, knocking him down. "RUUUUN!" she then told Patrick and Atticus before running with them.

Kay was still persistent with a chuckle, though he lost a tooth in the process. "What a woman!"

* * *

Wart, Patrick, Cherry, and Atticus continued to run to the Inn along with Archimedes, but when they got to the inn, the door was locked.

"Ugh... I hate getting locked out... I feel so stupid." Cherry complained.

"Let me in! Let me in!" Wart cried out as he tried to open the door before pounding on it. "Somebody, please! Please let me in!"

Archimedes wiped away the icy stains on the window to look inside before frowning. "It's no use, boy. They've all gone to the tournament." he then told Wart.

Cherry instinctively glanced at Atticus all of a sudden.

"What?! I didn't know that everyone would be at the tournament." Atticus said.

"Now what do we do? Kay's gotta have a sword." Patrick said.

Archimedes soon saw something in the distance and looked hopeful. "Look, kids! There in the churchyard." he then told them.

"A sword! Oh, Archimedes, a sword!" Wart beamed as he began to run right toward the sword before stopping suddenly and gasped.

Drell was shown to be coming up behind the sword with a smirk and soon grabbed onto it.

"Oh, I'm too late..." Wart frowned. "That boy's gonna get it before I can."

Drell soon grabbed on the sword and pulled, though he grunted and strained, despite being very strong for his age, and began to have a hard time getting the sword out of the stone.

"Having trouble?" Cherry smirked.

"Stupid sword!" Drell grunted as he failed to get the sword out.

"Such a shame," Cherry smirked. "Better luck next time, Muscles."

"Why, you!" Drell glared, looking like he was going to hit her, but he stopped himself. "Ugh... I can't hit girls... Mom says that's stupid."

"Oh, well, maybe someone else will be luckier than you." Cherry shrugged innocently.

"Wart, why don't you try and pull the sword?" Atticus asked.

"Me?" Wart asked.

"Kay needs a sword." Patrick reminded.

"Well... Okay..." Wart said as he soon grabbed the sword by its handle as an angelic choir was heard which startled him at first until he retracted his hands and the choir suddenly stopped.

"Watch it, boy!" Archimedes advised Wart as he felt unsure about this. "Better leave it alone!"

"But Kay's got to have a sword!" Wart reminded as he grabbed the sword and soon managed to pull it right out of the stone without great strength.

"ARE YOU _KIDDING_ ME?!" Drell whined as he fell to the ground and pounded on it, throwing an immature temper tantrum. "That little punk gets to win the sword in the stone while I get _NOTHING_?! This is baloney!"

"Well, we'd love to stay and chat, but we really must go." Atticus said.

"He's right, we gotta hurry back to Kay." Cherry said.

"It's just not fa-a-a-a-air!" Drell continued to cry as Atticus and Cherry backed away slowly from him.

"Now, come on, quick," Archimedes urged before they ran out of the churchyard as Drell continued to cry. "Let's get out of here!"

* * *

**_Back at the tournament..._ **

"You're up next, my son," Ector told Kay, a bit nervously. "Uh, you better get ready."

"Kay, Kay, here's a sword." Wart said as he rushed over with the sword from the stone.

Kay took it and soon glared in annoyance. "This is not my sword!" he then complained.

"Hold on, Kay! Wait a second," Ector said as he took the sword and found some writing on it. "'Whoso pull-eth out this sword'--" he then stopped in realization. "Ooh, eh... It's the sword in the stone!"

"Roll credits~" Cherry smirked to herself.

"The sword in the stone? It can't be." A man with a black beard said as he took a closer look at the sword.

"But, look, it is." Ector said.

"It's The Marvelous Sword!" Pellinore gasped.

"Hold everything!" The black-bearded man called out to the other spectators. "Someone's pulled the sword from the stone."

"Where did you get it, kids?" Ector demanded.

Atticus, Cherry, and Patrick pulled away to let Wart tell the man.

"I-I-I pulled it out of an anvil that was on a stone i-i-in a churchyard." Wart stammered nervously.

The spectators soon began to laugh like that was a joke.

"Stop laughing!" Cherry glared.

"Women should be seen and not heard," The black-bearded man told her. "You should be home with your mother learning how to cook."

"Wart really did pull the sword out of the stone." Patrick told Ector and the spectators.

"You're making a fool of us, boy," Ector glared sharply at Wart. "Now tell me the truth."

"But I did, sir!" Wart insisted before getting dragged by his scarf. "Ow! Ooh!"

"Then come on, prove it," Ector snarled as he dragged the boy. "Back to the stone with you."

"Yes, prove it." One man laughed as they went to go see Wart in action.

"Come on!" Another man agreed. "Prove it!"

* * *

Drell sulked as he sat on the anvil with his back turned with his eyes closed and narrowed.

"Uh, you're gonna have to move." Patrick said.

Drell snorted. "Why? Is that Bunion kid gonna beat me up if I don't?" he then scoffed.

"Uh, no, because we kinda need to put the sword back in so Wart can prove that he pulled the sword from the stone." Patrick said.

"Seriously?" Drell asked.

"Yes!" Patrick nodded. "Surely you can see the importance of that!"

Drell snorted and crossed his arms.

"Come on," Patrick said as he came beside the young warlock. "How are you gonna prove you deserve the title of being in The Magic Council with that attitude? I know that you're strong, you're probably stronger than I'll ever be," he then smiled. "I'll make this up to you somehow as long as my buddy doesn't forget about me once he becomes a rich and famous king."

"Yeah, right," Drell rolled his eyes. "They'll probably make _him_ be in charge instead of me... I just wanna be special and have people remember me... Now they're gonna remember that Boil kid and not me."

"I'm sure people will remember you," Patrick smiled. "You seem like a great guy to me... Even if a bit short-tempered and studying under a lady like Madam Mim."

"You think I'm a great guy?" Drell asked.

"Well, yeah." Patrick smiled.

"Hm..." Drell looked away with a smirk. "I hate to argue with that mindset."

"Oh, brother, I just fed his ego." Patrick rolled his eyes before walking off with Drell who then got off of the anvil.

The people soon gathered around as Ector placed the sword back into the stone with Wart standing next to him.

"All right, boy, let's have the miracle." Ector smirked as slid the sword back into place with everyone watching.

Wart soon rolled up the sleeve from his left arm as he was about to pull the sword out of stone again only to be stopped by Kay.

 _'Oh, brother. I already can tell why Kay's stopping Wart.'_ Cherry thought to herself.

"Hey!" Patrick complained. "What's the big idea, Kay?!"

"Now, wait a minute!" Kay glared as he went to move Wart out of the way and went to grab on the sword's handle to pull it out of the stone. "Anyone can pull it once it's been pulled."

Cherry soon put her hand to her mouth with a snicker as Kay began to have a little bit of trouble.

"Go to it, Kay," Ector coached. "Give it all you got. Put your back into it!" he then added as he tried to help Kay, but even with his help, even he couldn't move the sword from the stone.

"They can't be serious." Cherry said.

"Ah, you know how men in this time period can get," Atticus rolled his eyes. "They're all a bunch of animals to make themselves look bigger and stronger."

"Kinda reminds me of you guys on the football team." Cherry smirked.

The rest of the men began to try and get the sword out of the stone together.

"Oh, brother." Atticus sighed.

"If I can't do it, they sure can't," Drell huffed. "Also, guys, I've been thinking."

"A dangerous pastime." Cherry remarked.

"I know," Drell rolled his eyes. "But... I was thinking about what you said about Madam Mim and I think maybe you're right."

"Knowledge can help you through any situation." Atticus said.

"I'll remember that." Drell smiled.

Atticus soon smiled back. The other spectators soon tried to get the sword out of the stone while the kids just watched and began to sweat-drop, unimpressed with their efforts.

"Hold on! That's not fair." The black-bearded man groused.

"I say we let the kids try it." Pelinore spoke up.

"That's what I say," The black-bearded man suggested. "Give the kids a chance."

"Wooow..." Cherry rolled her eyes.

"Each of us?" Patrick asked. "I dunno..."

"You kids are here, you might as well do something," The black-bearded man rolled his eyes. "Except for the girl... She should be wearing a nice clean dress and in the kitchen."

"Yeah... Not happening." Cherry said.

"You will know your place, young lady." The black-bearded man glared.

"Says the big strong tough guy who can't lift up a wimpy little sword." Cherry smirked.

The black-bearded man growled at her. Patrick soon went up first to try to move the sword, but of course, it wouldn't work.

"I'm sure that boy will be able to do it if any of them." The black-beared man said before he pointed sharply at Atticus who went to go next after his future father.

Atticus soon went to pull the sword out of the stone next, but knew that it wouldn't come out even with his strength or at least he hoped it wouldn't. Luckily, the sword didn't move an inch.

"Next!" Cherry called flatly.

"Go ahead, son." Pellinore lightly told Wart.

"He can do it." Cherry said.

"Can't believe you'd support that loser out of anyone else you've met." Kay sneered at her.

Cherry just gave him a look before a familiar squirrel girl hit him on the head with an acorn, looking protective of the blonde boy which reminded her of which squirrel that was. "Thanks, Hazel." she then said to the squirrel girl.

Wart looked over and soon held onto the sword's handle as the angelic choir came back and he soon pulled the sword out of the stone with ease.

"It's a miracle ordained by Heaven," The black-bearded man gasped as he looked wide-eyed along with the others. "This boy is our king."

"Yep, he sure is." Drell nodded.

"Well, by jove." Ector said out of shock.

"What's the lad's name?" The black-bearded man soon asked.

"Wart," Ector began before he decided that the boy should have his name earned back to him. "I mean Arthur."

"Hail King Arthur!" The black-bearded man proclaimed.

"Long live the king! Long live King Arthur!" The crowd soon jeered.

Archimedes began to laugh as he actually felt happy for the boy. "I can't believe it!"

"I always knew you were destined for something great." Patrick smiled at his friend.

"Oh, forgive me, son, forgive me." Ector told Wart as he knelt down to him.

"After all the crap you put him through?" Cherry rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please don't, sir." Wart said to Ector.

"Kay, bow down to your king." Ector demanded to his son.

Kay looked frustrated about doing so, but he soon did what was asked of him.


	9. Chapter 9

A while later Wart, Patrick, Atticus, Cherry, Drell, and Archimedes were seen in the throne room.

"So at last, the miracle had come to pass in that far off time upon New Year's Day and the glorious reign of King Arthur was begun." A narrator's voice was heard.

Wart sighed as the crown slumped down and covered his eyes briefly.

"What's wrong, buddy?" Patrick asked.

"I can't be a king, guys," Wart sighed as he moved the crown to over his eyes. "I-I-I don't know anything about ruling a country."

"I told you to leave the thing in the stone, boy." Archimedes frowned softly.

"I'll run away, that's what I'll do." Wart decided as he got off the throne.

"What?!" Patrick gasped.

"Whoa! Pimple! This is crazy!" Drell said to him. "You have a great honor going for ya!"

"They'll just have to get somebody else." Wart said as he got off of the throne and soon looked for a way out of the throne room.

"Better take the side door, Wart," Archimedes suggested. "Out the side door."

Wart soon rushed over to the door and opened it, only to flinch as yelling was heard on the other side.

"Hail, King Arthur!" The crowd boomed from outside which blew Archimedes back suddenly. "Long live the King!"

"There's another door!" Archimedes then suggested. "Over there, over there! Come on, come on!"

Wart soon tried the other door, only for the same result to happen as Archimedes was sent flying and was thrown at a corner in the room.

"Long live King Arthur!" The crowd cheered until Wart shut the door on them. "Long li--"

"There's no way out!" Cherry cried out.

"We're surrounded!" Atticus added.

"We better call for Merlin, maybe he can help." Drell said.

"That's gotta be the best advice so far." Patrick said.

"I guess we could call for him," Cherry shrugged. "Like Beetlejuice."

"Who?" Patrick asked Atticus.

"Never mind that now." Atticus smiled bashfully.

"MERLIN! MERLIN!" The kids soon cried out.

* * *

And just like that, Merlin was soon seen flying in as he looked like he just came back from vacation.

"Merlin, are we glad to see you." Patrick smiled.

"Did you go to Hawaii or something?" Cherry asked.

"No, I am back from Bermuda and the 20th century." Merlin reminded her.

"You came all the way from the 20th century?" Patrick asked.

"Yes." Merlin nodded.

"So you really went that far?" Drell asked.

"I sure did, my boy, and believe me, these kids can have it," Merlin huffed as he took off his sunglasses. "One big modern mess! Alakazam!" he then recited before he changed back to his normal self.

"I'm in an awful pickle, I'm king." Wart told Merlin.

"He pulled the sword from the stone." Archimedes added.

"I'm sure you already know that, right?" Cherry guessed.

"Ha-ha! Of course, of course!" Merlin chuckled warmly as he helped Wart back to the throne. "King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table."

" _Round_ table?" Wart asked out of confusion.

"Oh, uh, w-would you rather have a square one?" Merlin then asked.

"Oh, no. Round'll be fine." Wart shook his head.

"I guess this is just your destiny, Wart," Patrick said to his old friend. "I'm really gonna miss you though."

"I'll miss you too, Patrick," Wart said. "But you'll visit, won't you?"

"Of course." Patrick smiled.

The two boys then shared a friendly/brotherly hug with each other. They soon heard some chattering from the window. Cherry glanced over, seeing Hazel and soon came to see her as even she came to see "King Arthur" in action.

* * *

"Boy, boy, boy, boy, boy. You'll become a great legend," Merlin smiled as he helped Wart back up into the throne and put the crown back on his head. "They'll be writing books and plays about you for centuries to come. Why, they might even make a motion picture about you."

"Motion picture?" Wart asked out of confusion.

"Oh. Uh, well, um... Uh, that's something like television without commercials." Merlin explained.

Wart still felt unsure about this whole idea. "I'm afraid I won't know about being the king." he then said.

"Never mind that, my boy; you'll learn and don't worry, I'll be there to help you out." Merlin reassured.

"Thank you, Merlin." Wart smiled.

"But I think he'll need someone to rule by his side even if it might be a bit early." Drell said.

"Oh, uh, I don't know if I should," Patrick smiled bashfully. "Wart's my best friend and all and I don't know what I wanna do with my life once I get older."

"I think he's referring to a different kind of someone." Cherry said as she let Hazel in.

"Exactly," Drell nodded before facing Merlin. "Do you suppose we can turn her human?"

"Well... I guess that suppose... It depends on if she can control herself around our friend here." Merlin replied.

"She says she'll try," Cherry said. "How 'bout it, Hazel? You wanna be human?"

Hazal chattered at her with a nod of her head.

"So?" Cherry then asked Merlin softly.

"Well... All right... Set her down on the floor, Cherry." Merlin requested.

Cherry soon bent down and put the squirrel girl in the middle of the floor.

"Alakazam... Alakazoom... Hocus Pocus, Zim Zam Boom!" Merlin recited as he soon shot his magic wand right at Hazel, engulfing her in a magical blast.

Everyone coughed from the magic blast and dust before the smoke then cleared to show a humanized Hazel as she wore a purple and white dress with darker purple shoes and had long crimson hair and emerald green eyes. She looked very cute as a human transformed from a squirrel.

"Whoa..." Wart said as he blushed.

"Did it work?" Hazel asked with the voice of an angel.

"Uh... Uh-huh..." Wart nodded bashfully.

"Hello, there~" Hazel smiled as she came over to the boy.

"Sweet!" Drell grinned as he went to go toward the former squirrel girl.

"Wait! Stop!" Atticus said, trying to stop Drell, only to get dragged behind him. "Hey... How come I'm not strong anymore?"

"I guess we have to make sure your parents fall in love so they'll eventually get married and have you and Jessica?" Cherry shrugged.

"Calm yourself, Drell." Merlin told the young warlock.

"Oh, dang it." Drell pouted as he stopped.

Atticus looked at his arms and pouted a bit.

"So, you wanna work with Merlin then?" Patrick asked Drell.

"Yeah... Though how come _he_ gets a cute girl?" Drell pouted, looking jealous of Hazel and Wart.

"Someone will come for you soon," Patrick reassured. "Someone who loves you for you and not just your muscles."

"Really?" Drell asked.

"Really." Patrick smiled.

"Oh, and along the way, a certain mermaid wanted me to tell you that she hopes to see you again, Patrick." Merlin told Patrick.

Patrick's eyes widened before he smiled sheepishly. "Really?"

"Oh, yes," Merlin nodded. "She wants to hang out with you some more and hopes you can hang out more on dry land and maybe she could someday show you her home in Mermaid Lagoon."

"I'd really like that." Patrick smiled.

"Looks like someone might be falling for a mermaid." Drell smirked.

"...I can't help it if they're so beautiful." Patrick said bashfully.

"Like you're gonna grow up together," Drell smirked. "She's in Mermaid Lagoon that's in Neverland. People don't grow up there."

"Well, it looks like I'll spend the rest of my life being a kid happy with Emily." Patrick smirked back.

Atticus smiled as he knew that it was true.

"I shall bring you two closer together," Merlin said to Patrick before facing Atticus with a wink. "Very close indeed."

Atticus smiled before he felt his strength returning.

"Anyway, we should get going; I have a feeling we've succeeded in what we came to do." Cherry told them.

"Well, I guess you have then." A mysterious voice said.

"...Uh, who said that?" Cherry asked with slightly widened eyes.

* * *

Suddenly, a ghost appeared in front of them who was the master of time.

"Hey, I know you," Cherry said as she pointed at the ghost. "Clockwork from The Ghost Zone."

"Yes, I believe the timeline is being structured properly this time with your helping of Atticus's future parents as well as letting Wart become the new King of England after pulling the sword from the stone." The ghost replied.

"Well, the sword was bound to be pulled out of the stone only by Wart; no matter how strong anyone else was." Atticus said.

Clockwork soon used his power of time and took Atticus and Cherry away from the time of King Arthur. Patrick sat by himself outside of the castle for a few moments. He heard some splashing and looked around before he got tackled playfully and a certain blonde girl was on top of him. Emily smiled down at Patrick and he smiled back at her before they shared a kiss just as Atticus and Cherry disappeared and went back to their home timeline.

"You've done well and just in time too," Clockwork told them. "If the timeline was being temporarily altered too long, you would've disappeared from existence after losing your powers."

"Whoa." Atticus said.

"Yes." Clockwork replied as he went to bring them back home.


	10. Chapter 10

**_Meanwhile..._ **

"Did it work?" Emily asked Drell.

Drell was holding onto Cherry's adventure scrapbook and as if by magic, there was a page that appeared on a page that said _"The Sword in the Stone"_ and he smiled at that. "It worked." he then told the Wiccan/mermaid couple.

"I knew they would succeed." Patrick smiled.

"When have they ever failed?" Drell asked.

"I guess you knew what you were talking about when we were told about what we had to do," Emily said before sighing softly. "I just hate that we had to leave Atticus."

Patrick hugged Emily. "It's okay, that's in the past now," he said with a smile. "We don't have to worry about that again."

"No, you don't." Drell shook his head in reassurance before the linen closet door opened.

"Well, that was easier than I thought," Cherry said. "I can't believe Madam Mim was so easily defeated though."

"Well, Merlin did have the power of knowledge on his side." Drell said.

"Yeah, that's true." Atticus said as he came walking out of the linen closet next.

"Did you kids have fun?" Drell asked them.

"You were _really_ obnoxious as a kid!" Cherry glared.

"...Yeah." Drell shrugged innocently.

"But other than that, yes, we did." Atticus said.

"That's good." Drell said.

Cherry soon took her scrapbook back to see another adventure had been completed.

"Well, I'm glad you guys got to have your little journey," Emily smiled. "Plus it was educational for you."

"To see King Arthur in action?" Cherry guessed.

"You found out how we first met," Patrick smiled. "And that was the most magical day of my life."

"So while we were in the past, did anything change here?" Atticus asked.

"Well since I had never felt any pain before in the past, that was a change and, well, some things did change, but not for the worst." Drell said.

Cherry and Atticus bit their lips nervously.

"Yeah?" Cherry asked. "What changed?"

"Don't worry; nothing too serious." Drell said.

"It's true." Patrick smiled.

"...Yes?" Cherry prompted.

"No big deal," Drell replied. "I'll tell you later."

"Gah!" Cherry groaned slightly.

"Drell, please, tell us." Atticus begged.

"Yeah, don't leave us in suspense." Cherry said.

"Well, let's just say me and Hilda a little bit closer nowadays." Drell said.

"Oh, I think we've noticed." Atticus smiled.

"Maybe _you_ have, _I've_ felt sick about it." Cherry smirked.

"Very funny, Cherry." Drell rolled his eyes.

"Eh, I'm happy for ya," Cherry shrugged then. "Even if seeing you two together like that makes me feel funny."

"Anyway, don't you have somewhere to be at home?" Drell asked her.

"Why?" Cherry scoffed with a small smirk. "So you can give Atticus a solo Superman based mission and just send me home with nothing to do while I was invited to come over and hang out?"

"Actually because your mom needs you to watch over Wendy." Drell smirked.

"Dang it." Cherry groaned.

"Get going," Drell replied as he pointed out the door. "Come on now."

"Can I at least have some dessert?" Cherry asked Patrick and Emily.

"Sure, we'll get you some ice cream real quick." Emily nodded as she went to the kitchen.

Cherry crossed her arms, grumbling a bit. "Dumb little Wendy... Can't watch over herself? She defeated Desmond Spellman on her own..." she then complained a bit.

"She is still just a kid." Drell said.

"Oh, dang it." Cherry said.

"So get going." Drell nodded.

"Someone's in a rush to get me out of the house." Cherry rolled her eyes playfully as she sat on the couch before she would go back home.

"Sometimes she can be a challenge." Drell said to himself.

"Are you just gonna stay here and hang out or what?" Atticus asked Drell. "I kinda promised I'd spend some time with Cherry."

"Spend time later," Drell replied. "Someone's gotta babysit the good little witch with her friendly ghost friend."

"Hmm..." Atticus shrugged at that.

"Anyway, there's something that I wanted to ask you." Drell said.

"Yeah, what is it?" Atticus asked.

"Do you know about Legos? And do you know about The Marvel Family?" Drell asked.

"Legos, of course," Atticus replied. "Cherry and me used to play with them and make rocket ships out of them and even castles sometimes," he then chuckled softly. "Sometimes she pretended to be Godzilla and destroyed buildings."

"And as for The Marvel Family?" Drell prompted.

"I know a bit," Atticus said. "Mostly Shazam though."

"Are you seriously gonna take him away into a world of Legos while I have to stay in boring old Greendale?!" Cherry's voice muffled from the other room.

"The Lego World, no! You two and Mo and Patch will be watching a different universe of yourselves in that world!" Drell told her before facing Atticus. "But you will be meeting the Marvel family, so then when you meet the wizard you'll learn a little more about your godly powers. After all, thanks to you; Shazam is now the most powerful and mightiest mortal on Earth. Since you have the same strength as his and the same power of Zeus."

Cherry stepped out a bit as she got some ice cream in a to-go cup.

"Huh..." Atticus commented. "I guess I was just destined to meet Hercules and Zeus from that one time."

"Yes, you were; anyway, you'll be meeting Captain Marvel and his family sometime later next week to be exact." Drell said.

"And as for the Lego universe?" Atticus asked.

"You, Cherry, Mo, Thor, and Patch will be watching that adventure two days from today." Drell said.

"Well, that's oddly specific," Atticus commented. "Anything else?"

"Not at the moment, no," Drell replied as Cherry came back into the room. "I just thought I'd warn you first."

"Oh, yes, like you would ever sneak up on us and pull us away from home for your own sick amusement." Cherry rolled her eyes before smirking.

"Hm..." Drell narrowed his eyes in annoyance.

"I'm out," Cherry said to Atticus. "Guess I gotta play big sister to Wendy now."

"Have a nice time with Wendy." Atticus smiled.

"Yeah, yeah." Cherry said as she left the house.

"Well, I guess I'll see if there's any of that ice cream left." Atticus said on his way to the kitchen.

"And I better get going." Drell said before leaving through the linen closet.

"See ya, Drell," Atticus replied. "So, uh, did you end up becoming a student of Merlin's?"

"Oh, yeah, I did," Drell nodded. "He helped get me into The Warlock Academy where I've met some of my very good friends from centuries ago."

"That's great." Atticus smiled.

Drell soon left through the linen closet as the thunder and lightning happened.

* * *

"Well, I'm glad you found out about my early life with my old friend." Patrick smiled at Atticus.

"I'm glad too," Atticus smiled back. "Now I guess I'll prepare for the Lego world and meeting The Marvel family."

"I don't doubt it will be interesting for you." Emily beamed.

"Me neither, Mom," Atticus said before he shared some ice cream with his parents. "It was... Really educational."

Patrick and Emily smiled and nodded. And so, ended yet another new adventure with plenty more to come as Cherry was on her way to babysitting Wendy. Until we catch up with our friends next time, this is...

The End


End file.
